


Conflict Management

by TheMightyFlynn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, M/M, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-04-30 15:19:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5168705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMightyFlynn/pseuds/TheMightyFlynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After one fight too many, Aurors Draco and Harry are sent off to a counselling retreat. It turns out to not be quite what they had expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lauren3210](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lauren3210/gifts).



> Lauren3210, this prompt was so much fun to work with and I hope you like it! Thanks to N for the beta, all remaining mistakes are mine.

**Prologue**

Glancing between his paperwork and the clock on his wall, Gawain Robards sighed. Days like this one – December 31st – shouldn’t be work days, simply because no one wanted to be there. No matter how much you loved your job, New Year’s Eve was not a day anyone wanted to work. Being the Head of the Auror Department was no exception. Considering the amount of people out and about on days like this, he knew that the Department would have a surge in cases. Dark witches and wizards seemed, in his experience, to have some of the worst timing ever. If they would only give him just this one day…

He shook his head. He knew it was useless hoping for something that would never happen. Placing his signature on the bottom of the paper in front of him, he sent the hovering stack over to his outbox. The next pile was the shortest he had to deal with that day, thankfully. Pulling the sheaf of papers towards him, he immediately wished he had left it until last. Or even the next day.

__

**_INCIDENT REPORT_**

****  


_**Report filed by:** _ _Senior Auror Garfield Havisham_

_**Incident:** On the afternoon of December 27th, 2004, Auror Harry Potter and Auror Draco Malfoy were called to regular training in the courtyard. As the rest of the group gathered, Auror Malfoy was heard to remark loudly on how his Christmas celebrations had gone. He compared his own lavish festivities with those of ex-Auror Ronald Weasley, making disparaging remarks about Mr. Weasley’s home life. Auror Potter took offence to the remarks immediately. Auror Potter informed Auror Malfoy to: “shove your festivities up your arse”. Auror Potter then turned his back on Auror Malfoy and began to walk away. Auror Malfoy cast a Trip Jinx at Auror Potter, who responded with an Impedimenta. The situation devolved into fisticuffs after that. They were separated forcibly after about a minute or so._

_**Action taken:** Auror Malfoy sent to the Healer with a broken nose. Aurors Malfoy and Potter were suspended from duties until this incident has been reviewed._

Sitting back in his chair, Gawain ran a hand through his hair. He had teamed Draco and Harry up instead of assigning them a junior partner each because he had thought that two experienced Aurors would work much better together than if they were training juniors. On paper, the two of them were damn-near a dream team: with Malfoy’s brains and Potter’s talent, technically they should have been unstoppable. He had seen their potential in the field when they were able to put aside their differences and work together towards a common goal. When they focussed, they were a brilliant team, but this childish rivalry the two of them held onto was preventing that, however. It had only been a month since he had paired them, but already Harry had spent more time with the Healer than usual and Draco was stalking around the offices with the darkest scowl on his face Gawain had seen yet.

He knew what had to be done: they had to be sent to a counselling retreat. The Ministry had used retreats in the past to solve conflicts between their workers, but this would be the first time Gawain had had to send any of his Aurors to one. Kingsley had recommended the Pandora Retreat on Great Blasket Island as being particularly effective, but Gawain was still hesitant. If there was any chance that they could solve this without sending one of his best teams away for a week, then that was the route he would take. Waving his wand, he sent a note to his secretary, requesting that she round Malfoy and Potter up and send them to him.

He returned to his paperwork while he waited for the two of them to arrive. Requisition forms, sick leave, holiday leave and interdepartmental requests were all signed off on in the few minutes before a sharp knock sounded on his door.

“Enter.”

Gawain raised his head just in time to see Draco Malfoy step into the room. Dressed in his usual black and white with his hair immaculate and expression closed off, Draco looked every inch the snooty pure-blood he had been raised to be. There had been a wager between the elder Aurors when Malfoy had first begun training on how long he would last before dropping out, with many of them stating his apparent delicateness as the reason. Gawain had known better, though. He had seen the kind of determined glint to Draco’s eyes that usually indicated a person would make a brilliant Auror and had won that wager by a mile. He leant back in his chair and offered up a small smile.

“Take a seat, please, Draco. We are just waiting for your partner to join us.”

Keeping a close eye on Draco’s expression, Gawain could have sworn he caught a brief flash of annoyance at his mention of Harry. Draco had made great strides in making amends for his behaviour in the past, but it seemed that Harry Potter and his friends were his one stumbling block. No matter how much time had passed, Draco simply seemed incapable of treating Harry with anything other than scorn. Gawain returned to his paperwork while they waited for Harry. It was only a few minutes later when a second knock sounded on his door.

“Enter.”

Harry Potter had lost the gawkiness of his teenage years and, with the intensive training the Corps had put him through, he had turned into quite the Auror. After the first few years, when his fame had overshadowed everything he did, he had settled down and had managed to carve out a fine career in hunting down Dark witches and wizards. With the exception of this little bump with Draco, Gawain couldn’t really fault him on anything. Now, if they could only get this animosity settled without any further incidents…

“Good afternoon, Harry. If you would take a seat, please?” He didn’t miss Harry’s eyes flicking over to the back of Draco’s head, nor did he miss the surprise. Gawain cleared his throat and took a deep breath before speaking again. “I have received Auror Havisham’s report on the incident at training between the two of you this past Monday. As this isn’t the first time Garfield has had to file an official report on you both, I am now required to take formal action in order to resolve this conflict. Is there anything either of you have to say before we begin?”

Harry’s eyes flicked back to Draco again, but he kept quiet. Draco, on the other hand, didn’t look at Harry but sat up straighter and locked eyes with Gawain.

“Are we being reassigned?” There was a formal tone to his voice that Gawain had only ever heard when he was nervous or under a lot of pressure. “Perhaps even new partners?”

Gawain considered Draco for a few seconds, trying to get a read on him. There was a flicker of something across his face when Harry shifted in his seat, but besides that, he was blank. He knew it was useless trying to read him, as it seemed that Harry was the only one able to provoke him into any kind of reaction, but he did keep at it, just in case Draco slipped one day. Looking between the two of them, Gawain sighed.

“No, I’m sorry.” Gawain could have sworn he saw Draco’s shoulders slump a little with disappointment. “All the other teams work well together and I’m not willing to split them up because the two of you cannot move past a childhood grudge. You have such potential as a team, but I cannot force you to get along. Unless you are both willing to discuss your problems here and try to come to a solution right now, I will, therefore, be left with very little choice.”

Harry sat up a little straighter at that, a slight alarm to his movements. “What does that mean? We’re not being fired or anything like that?”

Draco rolled his eyes, the first time he had really acknowledged Harry’s existence since they had entered the room. Gawain’s eyes flicked between them again, noting that neither had even considered his suggestion of discussing their problems here. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair; it looked like he was about to lose the two of them for a few days.

“No, Potter, you aren’t being fired.” He had to bite back a smile when Harry let out a breath and fell back against his chair. “You are, however, being sent to a counselling retreat. It starts on the third and finishes on the ninth, so you’ll have a full half-day to get used to your new ability to trust each other and work well together.”

Leaning back, he laced his fingers together over his stomach and watched that information sink in with the both of them. Harry’s reaction was immediate: his eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed like a fish before he looked over to Draco to catch his reaction. Of course, Draco was much more restrained, but Gawain could easily see the displeasure that caused his eyes to briefly slide shut and curled his top lip.

“A retreat?” Draco found his voice first. “You want us to get along, so you’re sending us to a place where we can’t escape each other?”

Biting back another smile, Gawain met Draco’s eyes. “Yes, I am. I have witnessed the two of you putting aside your differences and working together in the field, so I know that you should be able to do the same in your general interactions. This retreat comes highly recommended by the Minister himself, and I am expecting the two of you to commit to working out whatever it is that is causing this animosity.”

The insulted look that crossed Draco’s face was one of the most amusing things Gawain had seen in a while, and he had to exert a considerable amount of control to keep a straight face. Harry, on the other hand, seemed almost calm about this. Sitting across from him as he was, Gawain could see every emotion as it crossed Harry’s face and the domineering one seemed to be a quiet acceptance. It was odd to think, but the idea that Harry might actually be open to this crossed Gawain’s mind before Draco spoke again.

“I assume this is mandatory?”

The strain was now evident in Draco’s voice, making Gawain thankful that the two of them were on suspension at that moment. He nodded.

“Yes, it is.”

Draco’s responding gusty sigh seemed to shake Harry out of his thoughts. He glanced between Draco and Gawain a few times, a small frown forming between his eyes.

“How long would it be for?”

“Why aren’t you objecting to this? You’re half of the problem here!”

“I know I am, that’s why I’m not objecting. I quite like my job and I really like the idea that I can come to work without having to put up with any extra stress caused by being partnered with someone I don’t get along with. If Kingsley says this place is good, then maybe–”

“Oh, of course the Minister’s little pet would agree with everything he said.” Draco stood and held a hand out. Gawain was surprised to note that it wasn’t shaking and a sense of respect for Draco's control washed through him. “I assume there’s a brochure I should read?”

Gawain rummaged through his top drawer before pulling out a crumpled brochure and handing it silently over to Draco, who spun on his heel and stomped out of the room. He offered up a small smile when Harry’s eyes closed, deciding that showing some sympathy at this point couldn’t be a bad thing.

“You are the only one who is actually able to get any kind of response like that out of him, you know.”

“Lucky me.”

Gawain’s sympathetic smile widened a little. “Look, Harry, separately, you and Malfoy are two of my best. When you’re able to put aside this animosity you show each other in your everyday lives, you are a brilliant team. But I cannot have the two of you continuously sniping at each other and starting fights in the corridors. It places more than the two of you in danger and gives the new recruits the wrong impression. You never know, this retreat could be one of the better things to happen to you.”

“Or my very presence could cause Malfoy to spontaneously combust with anger and my problems would be solved.”

Gawain couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up out of him at Harry’s sarcasm. “Just try not to help him along with it, alright?”


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

A rough wind blew sea water, rain, and who-knew-what else from the near-by dock into Harry’s face as he Apparated to Great Blasket Island Monday night. Why the counselling camp had to be held here, in the middle of nowhere, he had no idea, but he already knew that it was not going to be pleasant. He ducked his head and ran for shelter, hopefully in the right direction. Ireland in the winter was always freezing, he knew, but for the camp to be placed on one of these bloody islands, whoever it was who ran the place must have completely lost their senses, he figured. He made the shelter of what appeared to be a darkened reception area after what could have been no more than fifteen seconds, but he was already soaked to the skin. Shivering, he quickly cast drying and warming charms over himself, hoping that on top of everything else, he wouldn’t also catch a cold.

Quickly glancing around the lobby he had entered, he scrubbed a hand across his eyes to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was in the reflected light from a side passage. The lobby of the centre was decorated in various shades of red and white: white tiles with splashes of bright red covered the floor; the walls were white with red trim; even the furniture was mismatched pieces, all either a deeper red or white. The one standout feature, though, was the reception desk, which was a rich mahogany with a matching mahogany door behind it. Harry had to wonder exactly what kind of person would commit this atrocity against an innocent building.

When it became obvious that he was alone for the time being, he allowed his mind to wander. This was not a position he had ever wanted to find himself in and his New Year’s celebrations at Ron and Hermione’s the day before probably hadn’t helped those feelings at all. The day had been spent drinking and playing card games with Ron and some of the boys from both work and Hogwarts, which Harry knew by now was an incredibly bad idea. Not even Malfoy had driven him to drink yet, so he knew he had no one to blame but himself. He shook his head as he walked further into the dark lobby.

Seven days; he was stuck with Malfoy at this ridiculous counselling camp for _seven bloody days_. Then again, he considered, he had kind of brought this on himself. If he hadn’t reacted to Malfoy’s taunts, this wouldn’t have happened. Gawain had been right in saying that they worked really well together as a team in the field, so what it was about Malfoy insulting his friends that set him off, he had no idea. Maybe the counsellors here could help him discover what it was? He figured it had to be worth a try, as Malfoy’s constant sniping at him tended to end with him losing his temper and hitting back at him. He came back to himself with a shake of his head as the sound of footsteps echoed to him.

“Harry! It’s so good to see you!”

Harry spun around, shock widening his eyes as torches were lit so he could see the speaker. “Luna? What are you doing here?” He could have sworn the last time he spoke to Luna, she, Rolf and their twins had been just coming home from a trip to the Amazon. “Where are Rolf and the boys?”

Luna smiled up at him, giving Harry the distinct impression that she was laughing at him. “Rolf and I purchased the retreat a few months back when it became obvious that our work with the animals was too dangerous for the boys. It’s much safer here for children than out in the field with the kinds of animals that we search for.”

Harry glanced automatically back out the windows that showed the storm raging outside. He was unsure if this weather was safe for _anyone_ to be out in, let alone children. A slight movement of something white out in the storm drew his attention and he stepped closer before realising what it was. Malfoy practically dove into the lobby, only just managing to keep his balance as his shoes slid on the tiled floor. His normally perfect hair was plastered to his head and he hadn’t had the sense to wear Muggle clothing, as Harry had. His robes appeared to be adding to the difficulties he was having in staying upright and Harry had to resist a smirk. He watched Malfoy struggle against the now-wet floor for a few seconds before taking pity on him and casting a drying charm at him.

Malfoy’s head snapped up and he blinked at Harry for a few seconds before nodding sharply and standing up straight to adjust his clothing. “What a fucking nightmare of a place to be stuck.”

“Good evening, Draco,” Luna responded, seemingly unfazed by Malfoy’s unusually poor manners. “You and Harry are the last to arrive, so if you would step this way, Rolf is just about to welcome everyone. Please leave your luggage here in the lobby; it will be taken to your room soon.”

Harry grinned as Luna drifted away further into the building. It had been too long since he had spent any significant amount of time with her and Rolf and their presence might be able to distract him. After unshrinking the suitcase he had stuffed in the pocket of his jeans, he followed along behind Luna without checking to see if Malfoy was going to follow as well.

The centre was a lot larger than Harry had expected it to be, with many doors leading off the long hallway Luna led them down. He could only guess at what was behind each of them, considering he had never had occasion to visit a facility like this one before. Lengthening his strides, he drew up in line with Luna.

“So how many people do you usually get through for one of these camps?” Since there had been no way for him to discover exactly what to expect from this kind of camp beyond the pictures of people playing Quidditch and laughing together on the brochure, he figured the best source of information had to be the one who owned the place. “Is this the first you’ve run?”

Luna smiled at him before glancing over her shoulder, obviously checking to see whether Malfoy was following them. “This is the second group we have had through here since we re-opened. The first group was relatively small, but this time we’ve got fourteen people altogether. The larger the group, the easier it is to organise games and trust-building sessions, so we will be able to do a lot more with this group than the last.”

She paused as they entered an auditorium with a small podium at one end. A group of people divided up into couples stood awkwardly in front of the podium, as if waiting for someone to come tell them what to do. Harry’s eyes automatically scanned the crowd and he was surprised to see some familiar faces. He bid farewell to Luna as she wandered off towards the front of the room, then stepped forward to greet Susan Bones and Terry Boot.

“Harry, it’s a bit of a shock to see you here,” Terry exclaimed as they shook hands. “Who…?” He trailed off as Malfoy stopped a few feet away from them, his arms crossed across his chest and scowl firmly in place. Terry lowered his voice and leant in. “Draco Malfoy, Harry? Are you with him?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been partners for a little while now, but we never seemed to have been able to get past certain things. Gawain Robards, the Head Auror, actually suggested this place and signed us up. Apparently we need to learn to trust each other more.”

Terry and Susan exchanged a slightly bewildered look. Susan seemed to recover from whatever it was that had caused the confusion fairly quickly, however. She smiled wide at him.

“That was incredibly… _kind_ of him.”

There was an odd tone to her voice, but Harry couldn’t work out why. He was prevented from asking, however, by Rolf stepping up to the podium before them, with Luna standing beside him, smiling out at them. Susan and Terry nodded to him and turned, Terry’s arm around Susan’s waist. Watching the people in front of him, it struck Harry as a little odd that so many of them had coupled off, but he didn’t get time to examine the thought before Malfoy sidled up to him and leant close.

“Does something seem a little off to you, Potter?”

His voice sent a shiver of something through Harry that caused him to roll his shoulders. Ignoring the whatever-it-was, he frowned, but scanned the group of people anyway, checking for the usual signs of danger. “Nothing worth noting. That blonde over there looks a little hostile, but besides that, it just looks like a normal group of people.”

Malfoy stared at him for a few seconds before responding, his expression unreadable. “Yes, Potter, a group of people who have divided themselves into pairs. _Couples_ if you will.”

Harry glanced around again, his frown deepening as a tingle of suspicion finally began to slide down his spine. Before he could respond to Malfoy, however, Rolf began to speak.

“I would like to take this opportunity to say hello and welcome you all to the newly refurbished Pandora Retreat. My name is Rolf and this is my beautiful wife, Luna. We have recently purchased the retreat from its previous owners and are in the process of overhauling the entire practice of rebuilding relationships. We’ll be using a mix of Muggle and magical methods that have been proven to help couples to reconnect and rediscover why they are together in the first place.”

_Together?_ Harry’s heart seemed to stop for a few beats and his stomach dropped into his shoes as Rolf’s words sank in. A faint sheen of sweat formed on his brow as he glanced around the room once more. Susan and Terry stood a few steps away, his hand resting lightly on the small of her back. The blonde Harry had noticed earlier stood just in front of Susan, with her arms crossed across her chest. A man stood beside her, looking harassed and grumpy. An older couple were just to the right of where Rolf stood. A couple of women who were holding hands were standing closest to Rolf down the front. One of them looked vaguely familiar to Harry, but he pushed the thought aside as his mind finally gave in to the realisation: they had been signed up to a _couple’s_ retreat. His stomach flipping with a mild panic, Harry automatically turned to Malfoy to see him cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Finally caught on have you?”

“We have to speak to Gawain.”

Malfoy nodded and they turned from Rolf at the same time, making their way swiftly back down the hallway and into the lobby. Harry’s pulse seemed to increase with each step as the implications of this mistake began to present themselves one by one in his mind: he and Malfoy sharing a room and therefore a bathroom; he and Malfoy doing trust exercises together; not being able to escape him for the next week and coming out of the retreat with their partnership in even worse shape than it was now. His skin clammed as he listened to the click of Malfoy’s heels on the tiled floor; even that was sending little shots of annoyance up his spine at that moment. They reached the lobby and Harry made straight for the door behind the reception desk he had spotted earlier.

The office behind the door was more what Harry had expected from a counselling camp, with everything in either white or dull shades of brown. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he smiled at the surprised-looking woman who was sitting behind one of the desks.

“May I help you, gentlemen? I thought everyone was at the orientation?”

Her voice was high-pitched, grating against Harry’s straining nerves. He opened his mouth to respond, but Malfoy elbowed his way past him before he could get a word out.

“There’s been a mistake.” Malfoy’s voice was clipped and the receptionist seemed to repress a flinch. “Could I use the Floo?”

“A mistake, Harry?”

Draco sneered as Potter turned and exited the room to speak to Luna. His pulse had been racing with annoyance – and a little more – since he had felt the touch of Potter’s magic in the lobby. The annoyance was directed more at himself than it was at Potter, for his inability to control emotions he had tried so hard to suppress after the end of the war. Everything had been going fine until he had been teamed with the git: this unrelenting crush he had on Potter had been under control and his career had been on track. Now, however… He took a deep, hopefully calming breath before shoving everything down again and turning to face the receptionist.

“The Floo powder is just here, sir. The fires are blocked for travel, but you are free to call whoever you can connect to.”

He offered up a polite smile. “Thank you.”

His mind raced through who he should contact as he stepped up to the fire, finally settling on Gawain. He could demand the Minister if he had to from there. It took a few seconds for Gawain to appear in Draco's line of sight.

“Draco? What’s gone wrong this time?”

There was a resignation to Gawain’s voice that caused a mild resentment to creep along Draco's spine. He took another deep breath, but it seemed to not have any effect on his racing heart. “It’s a couple’s retreat.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s. A. Couple’s. Retreat,” he repeated slowly, making sure to enunciate properly. “You have signed me up to a full week of learning how to _love my partner_. You have to get me out of here, Gawain.”

Draco watched as Gawain’s eyes widened. It was difficult to tell if he was shocked or simply trying not to laugh and Draco had to stop himself from snapping at him. He waited the few seconds it took for Gawain to react, breathing slowly in an attempt to stay calm. Eventually Gawain held up a hand and disappeared from Draco's sight. He knew it could only have been a few minutes, but it seemed as though hours had passed before Gawain returned, his eyes downcast.

“The Ministry has paid for this retreat in full.” His voice was low and held a regret that sent a shiver of fear down Draco's spine. “It’s a magical contract that states that the two of you will be attending the retreat for the next seven days.”

A mild panic replaced the fear chilling Draco's insides, causing a cold sweat to break on his skin and his hands to shake. “They signed a magical contract to get us here?”

“Maybe they assumed that there was no other way to get you to stay the full seven days.”

“I…” Draco paused to swallow rapidly as nausea threatened to overwhelm him at the realisation of what was happening to him struck. He needed no help in learning how to love Harry Potter: he had achieved that goal years ago. He took a shaky breath. “There’s no way to cancel it?”

“I’ll look into it–”

“Gawain–”

“Draco, there really isn’t anything I can do right at this moment. Most of the Ministry is closed for the night. You could try checking from your end, but I’ve done all I can from here for the time being. Look, the two of you get along fine in the field, maybe you could try treating this as just another mission.”

The fear that seemed to be seeping through every inch of his mind peaked and Draco had to fight back another wave of nausea. He thought he thanked Gawain before cutting the call off, but he couldn’t be sure. The office was much darker than it had been when he pulled his head out of the fire and Draco blinked rapidly to bring both the room back into focus as well as his mind.

“I hope you got the problem sorted, sir.”

Draco turned on his knees to find the receptionist smiling at him, her belongings packed for the day. He glanced quickly to the door, then back to her, his mind racing.

“Would you be able to look something up for me?” He watched her expression go from polite enquiry to irritation in a split second. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I mean.”

“I’m sorry, but I was just about to head home for the night. Could it wait until morning?”

“What’s going on? Did you get onto Gawain?”

Draco closed his eyes and took a few seconds to compose himself before standing and adjusting his clothing. He turned firstly to Potter.

“We may have a problem here. Someone at the Ministry has signed a magical contract to get us here and Gawain is unsure if it can be broken. I was just about to ask–” he glanced over and checked the receptionist’s nametag “–June here if it would be possible for her to bring the contract up so we can check it.”

June’s dull blue eyes widened as she was pinned with searching looks from both men. She ran a nervous hand through her hair before answering.

“I – uh – I really was about to go home. Would it be too much trouble to wait until morning?” If possible, her eyes widened a little more when Potter let out a quiet breath. “It’s just, my son and husband are waiting for me and–” Her mouth snapped shut abruptly when Potter held a hand up.

“Of course, of course. The morning is fine; you go back home.”

“Thank you, Mr. Potter.” Draco could hear the relief in her voice as she smiled wide at the both of them. “I swear I’ll find it first thing tomorrow.”

Unable to help it, Draco turned to glare at Potter the second the woman was out of the room. Potter rolled his eyes in response, his dislike of Draco evident in the curl of his lip.

“What did you expect me to do? Force the poor girl to stay here afterhours just to find a bloody piece of paper?”

“Oh no, _of course_ you had to play the hero again, Potter. The great Harry Potter can’t be seen to be anything other than The Saviour, can he?”

Unable to contain his frustration, Draco shoved past Potter and stalked back out into the lobby. Luna was there to greet him with a serene smile that made him want to punch something.

“The effects of the lunar energy burst last Monday have had a poor effect on your temper, Draco. You were brought here for a reason.”

“Yes,” he sneered, his hands clenching by his sides. “A mistake with the paperwork made by a bureaucrat with an inability to read a simple document.”

“Perhaps you will discover something more about yourself here; something surprising.”

Draco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had already proven to himself that he was incapable of murder, so maybe what he would discover here was that even he could be pushed only so far.

“Shall we return to the orientation?”

Draco trailed behind the two of them, his attention turned completely inward as he attempted to regain control over himself. Taking slow, deep breaths, he managed to quash most of the fear over what was coming by the time they reached the auditorium where the rest of the group stood. Rolf was still addressing them in overly cheerful tones.

“I would like to conclude this little introduction with a fable my grandfather told me all the time when I was a child.” He smiled and wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist before continuing. “There was once a shoe salesman in New York City who was doing really well with his business. So well, in fact, that he decided to branch out and open a factory in a small village in Africa. He sent all his developers and engineers over there and everything was going as scheduled. One day, the shoe salesman wanted to see how the factory was doing and set out for the village. When he arrived, he noticed that nobody in the village wore shoes. Stunned, the man called back to New York City and stated: ‘You’re never going to believe this: nobody around here wears shoes. Cancel the order!’

“Another man who was a shoe salesman in Los Angeles decided to branch out and open a factory in a small village in South America. He sent all his developers and engineers over there and everything was going as scheduled. One day, the shoe salesman wanted to see how the factory was doing and set out for the village. When he arrived, he noticed that nobody in the village wore shoes. Stunned, the man called back to Los Angeles and stated: ‘You’re never going to believe this: nobody around here wears shoes. Double the order!’

“The point is that both shoe salesmen saw the same thing – that nobody was wearing shoes – but they had different reactions. One saw it as a catastrophe and the other saw it as an opportunity. You will all see the same things here on this retreat: the same talks, the same lessons, the same activities; the same everything. It is up to you how you are going to react to what you see. Some of you will close yourself off and say, ‘What a waste of time, cancel the order.’ Others, though, might be open to the experience and say, ‘That was great! Double the order.’ What you take out of this retreat is all up to you and your attitude.”

Looking around the room, Draco saw a few of the people nod in agreement while others simply stood there. It was easy to tell which of them would be open to new things, which is what Draco figured the point of the story was. However, with Potter standing a few steps from him, Draco couldn’t focus on his own attitude to the retreat. He closed his eyes and gave himself a mental shake. He _could_ do this. It was only one night, after all.

*~*

“You are shitting me.”

Harry could hear the disbelief in his voice as he entered the suite of rooms they had been assigned. The suite consisted of a combined kitchenette and living room, a small bathroom and a bedroom. It was the bedroom Harry was standing and staring in disbelief at. One wall was covered in built-in wardrobes, while the opposite wall had a chest of drawers and windows that were showing the storm outside. Due to the size of the room, the only bed that could logically fit in was a double. Harry heard Malfoy enter the room behind him.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

A loud crack of thunder caused Harry to jump. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. His nerves were still singing after discovering the mistake with the paperwork and all he wanted was to crash. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to Malfoy.

“Look, I don’t care how weird this is going to sound. I’m going to sleep in that bed. It’s too cold for either of us to stay on the lounge, so you’re going to stay in the bed as well.” He watched as something strange flickered in the depths of Malfoy’s eyes. “This’ll only be awkward if we make it awkward.”

“Just another mission.”

Malfoy sounded like he was quoting someone, but as he didn’t say anything else, Harry really couldn’t find the energy to care. He was incredibly tempted to just collapse into the bed, but he took care of his nightly ritual and got changed, thankful that he had thought to pack pyjamas. Malfoy didn’t re-enter the room until well after Harry had burrowed down beneath the covers, but by that time, he was so close to sleep that he barely even felt the bed dip.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

_“Draco…” Sliding down the bed, Potter’s hot breath huffed over Draco's stomach, sending shivers down his spine. “I want you… Right now…”_

_“Yes.”_

_The word was more groan than actual word, but it seemed that Potter understood him well enough. Squirming on the bed as Potter’s mouth closed around his nipple, Draco gave in to the pleasurable sensations rushing through him. This fire had been building inside him for so long –_ too _long – and to finally be allowed to satisfy it… He shuddered when Potter’s hand closed around his aching cock and began to slowly stroke him._

_“Fuck, Potter…”_

_“Harry.”_

_Draco's eyes squeezed shut so tight he saw spots. “Harry… Please…”_

_A sharp bite to his nipple and a twist of Harry’s hand was the only response Draco received. One of his hands found its way to Harry’s hair, clenching in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure building inside him. His skin tingled, his stomach muscles bunched and he knew he was getting close. Thankfully, Harry seemed to sense it as well, as he backed off, allowing Draco some breathing room._

_“Look at me.”_

_It took a few seconds before the words penetrated the fog surrounding Draco's mind. When he opened his eyes, it was to see Harry kneeling on the bed before him, thick cock in hand. Harry grinned as Draco's eyes trailed over his body._

_“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, do you?”_

_Draco silently shook his head. How could he have known Harry wanted him? He had spent most of their time together either picking arguments with him or attempting to not make a complete fool of himself._

_Harry’s grin widened into a proper smile, sending Draco's mind swimming with lust. “Well…” He lowered himself down on top of Draco, pushed Draco's knees up to his chest and mumbled the preparation charms. “Allow me to show you.”_

_The pressure of having Harry push inside him almost blew Draco's carefully held control to pieces. Closing his eyes again, he took a couple of slow, deep breaths. He nearly whimpered in objection when Harry stopped._

_“Too fast?”_

_Draco could hear the strain in Harry’s voice but was unable to find his own. He shook his head rapidly and, breathing in short bursts, attempted to form some kind of response._

_“Good… More…”_

_Not quite what he had been aiming for, but it would have to be enough. Harry pushed forward again, a little faster this time. When he was finally settled against Draco's body, he rested their foreheads together. Simply lying there with Harry on top of – and inside – him was so much more than Draco had ever dared to imagine he could have that he forgot himself. Reaching around to grasp Harry’s arse in both hands, he squeezed._

_“Move. Now.”_

_Draco's body tingled with building need as Harry obeyed. He fell into a rapid rhythm, moving so quickly that the headboard of the bed banged against the wall. Draco threw his head back, reaching for orgasm…_

…and awoke before he could reach it. The banging of the headboard from the dream continued, but he ignored it, reaching his hand down into the top of his pyjamas to finish himself off.

“For fuck’s sake!”

Draco immediately came back to himself, his eyes flying open with horror at what was about to happen: lying in bed with Harry Potter, his hard cock in hand, he was about to absolutely humiliate himself. His heart racing with both the need to come and pure panic, he rolled onto his stomach, hoping that Potter wouldn’t try to force him out of the bed until he got himself under control. Unfortunately, the rubbing of the mattress against his cock sent a sharp shock of pleasure through him, but again, he ignored it.

“What’s that noise?” His voice was rough, but he figured that could be put down to sleep.

“Door.”

The bed dipped and Draco heard Potter stomp out to the living room, grumbling all the while. Draco's muscles had been so tense when he had laid down to sleep the night before that he had been sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep and now he desperately wished he hadn’t. He breathed a little easier when he was alone and couldn’t help wondering if Potter would be gone long enough for him to take care of his problem. It seemed he wasn’t going to be allowed that reprieve, though, as the door closed and Potter stomped back into the room again in less than thirty seconds.

“Wake up call. A note from the receptionist. Shower.”

A piece of parchment landed on the bed before Potter grabbed an armload of clothing from his suitcase and stomped back out of the room. Ignoring Potter’s apparently suddenly acquired inability to form a full sentence, Draco immediately cast locking and silencing charms at the door, flipped over onto his back and _finally_ slid his hand down into his pyjamas. His cock was rock hard and leaking copiously, so he knew he wouldn’t need much. He set a rapid pace, trying to get himself off before Potter got out of the shower. Images of the dream flicked through his mind and he settled on the best one: Potter kneeling before him, cock in hand, preparing to enter him. Draco bit his lip as his stomach muscles clenched. He was close; so close.

“Please, please…”

Dream-Potter grinned at him, his hand slowly moving on his cock. Draco twisted his hand and his mouth opened in a silent scream as the pressure peaked. His body spasmed over and over as he shot his release all over the front of his pyjamas and hand. Rolling over so he could bury his face into Potter’s pillow, he shamelessly breathed in his scent as his body twitched with the come-down.

He lay there with his face buried in Potter’s pillow until he heard the sound of the shower shutting off. Scrambling to clean himself and the bed, Draco waved his wand, mumbling the charms. Potter entered the room a little while later and rolled his eyes when he saw Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“We do have things to do today, you know.”

“Fuck off, Potter.”

The words were snarled as Malfoy stood from the bed, grabbed his clothing for the day and stalked out of the room. Harry sighed. He knew he shouldn’t react to Malfoy the way he did – they were both adults, after all – but it seemed to be an ingrained response. Not that it would matter for much longer: they were leaving that morning anyway. Perhaps they could find a different retreat? One not designed for couples. He grabbed the note from the receptionist and scanned it quickly.

_Mr. Potter,_

_I have found the document you wanted last night. If you could visit the reception desk before breakfast, there is something you should see._

_June._

A tingle of worry trailed down Harry’s spine. He had known, in the back of his mind, that it was possible that the contract would be unbreakable, but that couldn’t be what June wanted them to see, could it? Not even he could be that unlucky. Tossing the note onto the bedside, he ignored the apprehension building inside him and went about getting ready for the day. He already had everything re-packed by the time Malfoy was out of the shower.

“Does she have the contract?” There was a business-like tone to Malfoy’s voice that Harry considered a great improvement.

“She said she’s found the contract, but there’s something we should see.”

“Come on, then.”

Malfoy spun on his heel and stalked out of the room. Harry watched him, shaking his head a little as his black robes whipped around the corner. As Harry followed along behind him, Malfoy’s words from the night before floated through his mind.

_Just another mission_.

He had to wonder whether it was him or the retreat that Malfoy had been talking about, but he didn’t get long to examine the question. The pace Malfoy set had them down in the lobby again in what could have been no longer than two minutes. The lobby looked no better by the dull winter light than it had in the dark the night before. June was sitting behind the mahogany desk, staring at them in surprise.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I hadn’t expected you to be so prompt.”

Harry offered up a polite smile and had to resist the urge to inform her that the sooner this was sorted, the better. “Your note said you had information for us?”

“Indeed I do. Please follow me.”

Harry’s stomach flipped with nerves, causing his hands to clench by his sides. He stepped back to allow Malfoy through the door behind the desk before him. It was more out of a reluctance to discover the information June had found than any form of politeness, but he did note Malfoy’s small nod as he passed. Harry had barely gotten a glimpse of the office the previous night before Luna had claimed him and he was pleasantly surprised to find it was rather bright and cheery, countering the stormy weather outside. June was rummaging through a pile of papers on the nearest desk and Malfoy was watching her closely, his hands clasped tightly behind his back.

In the small amount of time afforded before June found what she was looking for, Harry took the time to really examine Malfoy without being observed. His eyes slid slowly downwards, taking in Malfoy’s rigid spine, clenched hands and feet planted firmly apart. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable being there, but it looked as though that feeling was only going to get worse. They had mostly sorted out their problems when they had joined the Corps going on seven years previously. Harry figured that their current problems stemmed mostly from their inability to see each other as anything other than rivals. Or that was the problem on his side, anyway. What Malfoy’s issue with him was, he had no real idea.

“Here we are.” June’s voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts. “This is the contract that was signed by the Ministry worker.”

Harry watched Malfoy’s face carefully when he grabbed the contract and began reading through it. It was rare for Harry to be able to read him, but he figured under the current circumstances, he might have a chance. It became clear fairly quickly that there was something in that contract that Malfoy didn’t like when his jaw clenched and his posture stiffened further. He huffed out a frustrated-sounding breath before thrusting the piece of parchment at Harry.

Scanning the offending document, Harry could see nothing that would indicate whether they could or couldn’t get out of the contract without penalties. He glanced up to shoot Malfoy a confused look.

“Read the fine print, Potter.”

Harry’s eyes dropped to the bottom of the page, where he found some tiny writing. Bringing the page closer to his face, he only just managed to make out what the words said.

_This contract is magically binding. The names listed in the ‘attendees’ slots shall be accountable by law if they break this contract._

Harry stood and stared down at the contract, barely daring to breathe. “If we leave, they’ll arrest us?”

“That’s certainly what it seems like, isn’t it?”

Harry hung his head, a deflated feeling beginning to weigh him down as he ran a hand through his hair. It was causing him to wish that he had just used his head and confronted Malfoy about this behaviour long ago. He raised his eyes when he heard a shuffled footstep.

“Look, we both know that if we’re arrested, we will be fired. It doesn’t matter what the arrest was over, it’s an automatic dismissal from the Corps. We… We’ll just have to deal with it.” The indignant look that entered Malfoy’s face had Harry sighing. “Well, what else are we supposed to do? I’m not getting fired just because you don’t like me!”

Malfoy’s cheeks turned a blotchy red. “Fine.”

He turned on his heel and stalked out of the office. Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to calm the sudden jolt of annoyance that had tensed his shoulders.

“Mr. Potter?”

Harry offered June a tight smile. “He just needs a few minutes.”

“Oh, no, I understand. It’s fine. I just wanted to give you your schedules for the retreat.”

Malfoy was waiting to ambush Harry as he exited the office. The heels of his boots clacked on the tiles as he strode up and stood in Harry’s path, so close that Harry could almost feel the anger radiating out from him.

“What do you get out of this?”

“What?”

“What’s your agenda, Potter? There has to be something you’re getting out of this.”

“The pleasure of your company.” Harry immediately regretted his automatic sarcasm when it looked like Malfoy was about to pummel him. “What the hell do you think, Malfoy? In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t fight like this with anyone other than you.”

“And believe me, it’s such a privilege.”

Harry took a small step forward, getting right into Malfoy’s personal space. “Not everyone is playing an angle you paranoid git. Gawain and the Ministry think we need counselling to solve these issues, so all I’m doing is following instructions.” He held up the second schedule and pushed it into Malfoy’s chest. “We have a session booked this afternoon. Maybe you can see if you can get over your little snit in time to make it?” The glare that narrowed Malfoy’s eyes was so familiar to Harry by now that he just shrugged it off. “I’m going to have some breakfast. I’m planning on being there for about half an hour, so you can time your entrance to avoid me.”

It was a while after Malfoy had left before Harry could think of anything other than following him and cursing him stupid. It was then that the regret at his rash words began to sink in. They were there to learn to get along and he had just spent the past few minutes working towards the exact opposite goal. He sighed. This looked like it was going to be more work than he had initially anticipated.

*~*

The door to the suite slammed against the wall as Draco flung it. The crash was satisfying, but nowhere near enough to be able to calm him down. His heart was beating so fast it was a little worrying, but he ignored it. He also determinedly ignored the fact that it wasn’t just anger making it race.

How dare Potter treat him like that? Telling him the way of things as though he had any control over him! He had half a mind to simply stalk down to the cafeteria, plant himself next to the bastard and show him that Draco Malfoy would not be intimidated. Not by Harry Potter, or anyone else, for that matter.

Pacing the length of the small living room and stewing over the confrontation didn’t seem to be doing much to help him calm down. What he needed, he knew, was a sympathetic ear, someone who wouldn’t care if he just let go; who wouldn’t judge him for being upset over his current circumstances. Grabbing a pinch of Floo powder, he gave Pansy’s address and stuck his head into the fire.

“Draco! How’s your retreat going? Has Potter given in to your non-existent advances yet?”

The smirk Pansy wore would have set Draco off even further if it was anyone else, but he knew she meant no harm. Not to him, anyway.

“I’m not sure I can do this, Pans.”

He hadn’t meant to admit something like that, but it seemed to receive an appropriate response: Pansy sat up from the lounge she had been lying on and moved to kneel in front of the fire. The concern in her eyes sent such a strong feeling of homesickness through Draco's chest that he closed his eyes in the hope that she hadn't seen too much.

“What has he done?” Pansy’s tone was deadly. “We keep telling you that he isn’t worth your time, Draco.”

Her words caused a smile to break on Draco's face and he opened his eyes to meet hers. “Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not, I swear. It’s just our usual bullshit. And the fact that this is a couple’s retreat.” Draco watched her carefully, enjoying the combination of expressions that crossed her face. He couldn’t help huffing out a short laugh when she seemed to get stuck between incredulity and disgust. “Someone at the Ministry signed a magically binding contract to get us here. If we leave, we’ll be arrested.”

“And fired?” Her eyes widened when he nodded. “What are you going to do?”

Draco shrugged, despite the fact that he knew she couldn’t see it. “I have no choice. It’s either stay here and keep my job or leave and be fired. I’ve worked too damn hard to be accepted to just give up like that, so it looks like I’ll have to stay.”

He found the sympathy that he had been looking for over the next hour or so as they talked. Pansy had always been willing to listen to him, despite the fact that she obviously thought he was a complete idiot for holding onto his crush on Potter. She filled him in on Daphne Greengrass’ latest man and listened to him complain about the way Potter had treated him.

By the time he backed out of the fireplace, Draco was feeling much more in control of himself. The anger that had been consuming him had dulled significantly over the course of their conversation. Although he knew it would probably return the next time he saw Potter, he was now able to exercise his Occlumency shields, pushing the feelings to the back of his mind.

A piece of crumbled parchment caught his eye and he reached for it. The schedule Potter had forced on him in the heat of their argument was still legible and it told Draco that at that moment, he was supposed to be doing some kind of group activity. Sneering at it, he tossed it onto the coffee table. He had missed breakfast and the first therapy session wasn’t until just after lunch, so he figured that now was as good a time as any to explore the facility a little. It would keep him distracted until he was forced into Potter’s company again, at least.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Staring down at the file before her, Mary Macdonald shook her head. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. They were names that everyone in the wizarding world knew and not just for what they had done during the war. Their rivalry was so well-known that certain of the more unscrupulous members of society had taken to betting on just when one of them would curse the other. Certain others had gone the exact opposite direction and were placing bets on dates for when the two of them would come out as a couple. Mary, of course, was above such low dealings, despite Dung’s attempts at trying to convince her.

Skimming through the file, one phrase caught her eye. _Auror partners_. In the twenty years she had been a marriage counsellor, she had never once worked with a couple who weren’t actually a couple. This would be a challenge, but if Luna and Rolf had faith in her to be able to help these two to get along, then she was up for it. She straightened in her chair and tucked a strand of greying, frizzy black hair behind her ear when a knock sounded on her door.

“It’s open.” The attitudes Aurors Malfoy and Potter were displaying towards each other were more worrying than anything else, with Potter showing a large amount of contempt and Malfoy almost completely closed off. Mary took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. Please, have a seat.”

She watched them covertly from beneath her lashes, taking in every nuance of their interactions. It had been a little startling when she had gotten her first good look at Harry Potter, considering she had been at school with his parents. His resemblance to James was unsettling in one way, but strangely comforting in another. She knew better than to judge a man based solely off preconceived ideas from his parents, however. Harry Potter had proven over and over again that he was his own man and, as a professional, she knew better than to hold to the public opinion of him.

Turning her attention to Malfoy, she had to bite back a sigh. His reputation told her to expect icy sarcasm and his current expression wasn’t countering that rumour in the slightest. He had obviously been taught to control his emotions in some way, which was always annoying to work with. Trying to counter what was sometimes years of training was damn-near impossible with some people. Perhaps this face he presented to the world was just a front however? If she wasn’t going to judge Potter by his reputation, then she should offer Malfoy that same courtesy. It looked like she had a lot of work to do either way.

“Well, gentlemen, this is an unusual situation we find ourselves in, isn’t it?”

“So they’ve told you we aren’t supposed to be here?”

Malfoy’s voice was clipped. Mary could hear him attempting to exert control over himself and a wash of sympathy flooded through her. She offered up a small smile, hoping to soften him a little.

“I’m aware that you aren’t together in the same way the couples I usually work with are. But, considering the reason you were signed up for this retreat, I believe I will be able to help you.”

She didn’t miss either of their reactions: Malfoy stiffened, his expression closing off even more, but Potter seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief. It was fascinating to watch, but she knew she had other things to focus on for this first session. Running through what she would need to get through with the two of them, she came to the realisation that this would be so much easier when she was working with them separately. They both had solo sessions booked during the week and that was when her real work would be done.

“You’re a relationship therapist, yes?”

She blinked, but turned a smile on Malfoy. “I am.”

“What makes you think that you can do anything for us? We were signed up under the impression that this retreat was for businesses. You help people to remember why they love each other. What we need, apparently, is to learn to trust each other.”

Watching him as carefully as she was, Mary didn’t miss the flickering of Malfoy’s eyes as he spoke. It planted a seed of suspicion in the back of her mind and she resolved to watch his reactions closer than Potter’s. If she was correct about this, it would make her interactions with him much easier.

“An intricate part of any relationship is a basis of trust. The nature of the relationship doesn’t matter; if you don’t trust each other, you have nothing.”

She caught Potter nodding out of the corner of her eye, but it was Malfoy she was really focussed on. She knew it was probably useless to try to work out exactly what emotion it was that he was trying to repress, but there were little signs there. It was obvious to her trained eye that he was angry, but there was something else there; something that made his eyes flicker every time Potter moved. It was almost as though he was hyperaware of everything that Potter said or did which, in Mary’s experience, tended to mean one of two things: either Draco Malfoy absolutely loathed Harry Potter, or he loved him. She cleared her throat when neither of them responded to her.

“This file here has basic information on the two of you, but I would really rather have that information come directly from you. So this is what we are going to do. After today’s session, I would like you both to write a brief summary of yourselves. I want to know your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies, what you think of your jobs and colleagues and anything else that you think relevant. You don’t have to add what you think of each other, because that will come out in your solo sessions, but you may if you wish. Whatever you write will be completely confidential, of course; I won’t allow either of you to see what the other has written without express permission.” She paused to open the top drawer in her desk and withdraw two sheets of parchment. “I will expect you to have them ready for your next session.”

“Is that all?”

Mary smiled. “You’ve been here five minutes and already you wish to leave, Mr. Malfoy? I’ll try not to be too insulted.”

Malfoy huffed out a breath. “My apologies. It’s been… a rough day.”

The formal tone that had suddenly entered his voice told Mary more than she thought Malfoy could ever know it had. She knew how he had grown up, of course, but for him to be able to call upon such an icy exterior so suddenly told her that he was trying to hide something; something that she should probably know. But that was for another session. This one was so she could get to know the two of them. She offered up a bright smile.

“I would actually like to the two of you to do something for me.” Reaching into the top drawer again, she pulled out another piece of parchment and held it up. Turning first to Potter, she met his gaze and held it. “I want you to think about what matters most to you in the world. It can be anything from your friends, your family, your job, or even how you are perceived by the world at large. Do you have something in mind?”

“Yes,” Potter responded slowly, a small line forming between his eyebrows.

“Good, because this piece of parchment represents whatever it is you are thinking of.” She then turned to Malfoy and met his gaze. “I want you to do the same thing. Think of what you value most in this world: family, friends; anything. Do you have it?” Malfoy nodded silently, a wary glint in his eyes. “Good, because this piece of parchment also represents what it is you are thinking about. Please take one end each.”

It took a few seconds, but Potter was the first to reach out to grasp one end, just as Mary had suspected he would. It seemed to her that he was the more take-charge one in this partnership; the leader. She was honestly expecting Malfoy to resist until the very end, but he managed to surprise her. When Potter turned to him with an eyebrow raised, Malfoy rolled his eyes and grabbed the parchment, almost as though he was responding to a silent challenge. Mary smiled.

“Alright, gentlemen. I want the two of you to decide who gets this piece of parchment. You cannot rip, tear or duplicate the parchment in any way, because that would mean giving up half of what you are thinking about. Remember that it represents what matters most to you in the world; something you would never let go of and would guard with your life if you needed to. You have five minutes to decide.”

With that, she sat back in her chair to observe what would happen. Unsurprisingly, both men turned confused looks on her.

“That’s not possible,” Potter exclaimed.

“How do you define who ‘gets’ the parchment?” There was a calculating look in Malfoy’s eyes as he stared, not at her, but Potter.

“You have four minutes and forty five seconds to decide.”

Potter’s eyes widened as he turned back to Malfoy. He glanced from Malfoy to the parchment a couple of times before speaking.

“Alright, look, there has to be a way to do this.”

“Really? Who are you giving up? Weasley? Or perhaps his sister?”

Mary bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from smiling. This was truly a fascinating turn of events. The icy, aloof exterior Malfoy presented to the world seemed to hide a fire that Potter was easily capable of bringing out.

“I’m not giving you anything, Malfoy. If you had bothered to listen before snapping my head off, what I said was that there must be a way to do this.”

If ‘stubborn streak a mile wide’ had been an acceptable clinical term, Mary was certain that that was what she would be marking down for the both of them. Although, Potter at least seemed willing to find a way to do as instructed. If this was an indication of the way they always worked together, then Mary could definitely see why they needed counselling. She turned her attention to Malfoy when he let out a large sigh.

“So of course you leave it up to me to work it out yet again.” There was a frustration to Malfoy’s voice now as he stared at the parchment. It appeared as though he had managed to get a small amount of control over his emotions, though, as he frowned down at the parchment between them. He held up his other hand when Potter opened his mouth, looking as though he was going to continue the argument. “Shut up and let me think.”

“Three minutes and thirty seconds to go.”

Malfoy shot her a quick glance before turning back to stare down at the parchment. It was obvious that he was working through ways that the both of them could end up with what they wanted without stepping outside the parameters of the game. It almost made her feel guilty, knowing that the only way they could both have the parchment was if their wants aligned. Almost, but not quite. A quick movement from Potter grabbed her attention, but he subsided just as quickly, a frown creasing his brow.

“Two minutes twenty seconds.”

It was obvious from just this little game that they were both incredibly strong personalities, which Mary knew was part of the problem. Combined with the stubbornness they both apparently possessed, it was going to be difficult to overcome. A week at a counselling camp was definitely not going to sort out every problem the two of them had, but she would be able to push them along the way to sorting out their differences. Or, if she was correct about what she had seen in Malfoy, helping him to acknowledge certain feelings and begin to let them go. A small, resigned-sounding sigh grabbed Mary’s attention from her study of the men in front of her and she stole a quick glance at her watch.

“One minute to go.”

“We have to want the same thing.”

“What? No, that can’t be…”

“Can you see any other way to do this?” Malfoy looked up from the parchment and into Potter’s eyes. “We can’t break the parchment in any way or duplicate it. If we both want the same thing, however, we both get to keep the parchment happily.”

“So if we’re both thinking of our families, we get to keep the parchment. If you’re thinking of your family and I’m thinking of my job, then it won’t work.”

They both turned to Mary with similar looks of expectation. The amount of revelations Mary had had about the two of them in such a short space of time was a little stunning. Neither of them lacked any sense of self-worth, that much was abundantly clear. If they had, then one of them probably would have let the other have the parchment with a minimum of fuss. Potter seemed to be the more agreeable one, with Malfoy obviously holding the world off with his acerbic attitude. It was the tenacity with which they held onto their own beliefs that would probably be one of the bigger problems they faced. They had both shown themselves to be stubborn and unyielding, but it also seemed that when they were able to stop fighting and work quietly, they could peacefully come up with the solution. Maybe what they needed was a way to distract themselves from whatever it was that was diverting them from working peacefully?

“Well done, gentlemen. It’s rare that anyone who comes into my office can work out how to resolve this game with time to spare.”

An accomplished look crossed Potter’s face and he turned to grin at Malfoy. Malfoy’s reaction was much more subdued, but he did give way long enough to offer Potter a sharp nod. It only reinforced Mary’s idea that he had been taught to control his emotions when he was a child and she made a mental note to address this in his first solo session.

“Did either of you have any questions for me?” She wasn’t surprised when they both silently shook their heads. “Well then, I believe we have done enough for your first session. Please remember to return those lists to me at the next session.” Malfoy stood immediately, but Potter sat and stared at Mary for a few seconds. “Was there something else, Mr. Potter?”

“Harry.”

“Excuse me?”

“My name. Call me Harry, please.”

Mary smiled. “Alright, Harry. Was there something else you wanted?”

Harry’s eyes flicked over towards his partner, then back to Mary. Malfoy rolled his eyes and stalked out of the room.

“Sorry, I just…” Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I know we need help to get along and I know that if we don’t get that help, then our jobs are probably in trouble. The thing is, though, Malfoy and I have _never_ gotten along. From the first second I saw him, he just rubbed me the wrong way and it never got any better. I don’t know why it continued after school ended, but we have just never seemed to be able to get over the past. Do you really think you can help us to get over that?”

Mary’s smile widened. “Yes, I do. I know that seven days is nowhere near enough for you both to heal from whatever you have done to each other over the years, but I am certain that I can start you on the path and give you the tools you need to be able to continue on your own.” An idea struck her as Harry nodded and stood, obviously preparing to leave as well. “Harry? I would suggest that you start by at least thinking of Draco as _Draco_.”

Harry blinked at her, his surprise obvious. “Oh. Alright, then. Thanks.”

Mary shook her head as Harry left the office. These two were going to be a massive challenge for her, but she was confident that she could help them.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Hovering somewhere in the space between awake and asleep, Draco sighed. The warm body pressed against his back was a welcome relief from the frigid weather outside the covers and he leant backwards a little, enjoying the respite. His legs were tangled with his partner’s in the covers, but Draco was reluctant to move, warm as he was. The feeling of welcome and safety that spread through him prevented him from questioning who it was in his bed with him, not that he cared at that moment. It wasn’t until the man behind him snuffled and let out a happy-sounding sigh that Draco awoke properly and realised exactly what he had been doing.

“Damn it!” He instinctively moved to elbow Potter in the ribs. “Get the fuck off me.”

Potter groaned, although this time it sounded more pained than anything else. Kicking his legs, Draco managed to untangle them so he could sit up and put some distance between them. The cold air hit him the second he moved to the edge of the bed, but he figured that that was what he needed at that point. The warmth he had been feeling – both physical and emotional – slowly drained as Potter awoke, giving way to disgust at himself.

“Malfoy?”

Potter’s voice was rough, sending a jolt of need through Draco. He scowled and shoved the thoughts it provoked as far to the back of his mind as he could.

“As much as I would absolutely _adore_ spending the day as your snuggle-buddy, we have a schedule to keep.”

He put as much sarcasm as he could manage this early in the day into his words, hoping it would cover up anything else Potter might pick up from him. Grabbing his clothing from his suitcase, Draco slid out of the bed properly and claimed the shower before Potter, needing the reprieve from his presence to clear his head.

The day before had been so disappointing, but Draco was now absolutely determined that he would be able to make it through this. His conversation with Pansy had helped him to clear his mind and apply his Occlumency shields, so he knew he was about as prepared for whatever was coming as he could get. With everything he had survived up until this point, a week with Potter should be nothing, especially considering his job was apparently on the line if he decided he couldn’t deal with it. He would participate, he would smile politely, he would answer when spoken to and then, when he finally got out of this hellhole, he would do his absolute best to get whoever signed those papers fired.

He was just about to exit the shower when his drifting mind latched onto an idea. Standing with his hand on the hot water tap, Draco began to examine what had just occurred to him. Mary Macdonald was a marriage counsellor. There had to have been times during her career when she had seen couples who had no hope of reconciling their differences and, therefore, would have begun the process of breaking up. If he was correct about this, then it was possible that she would have been able to help them with that process. If she had… Draco couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as anticipation spread through his chest. He exited the shower with a much brighter outlook on the day than he could ever have expected to have.

*~*

“Draco, Harry! You missed the group activities yesterday.”

Harry turned a wide smile on Rolf as he made his way through the group of couples that morning. “Yeah, sorry about that. With the shock of finding out about the contract, I think we both just needed some time alone.”

That was complete bullshit, on his part at least. He still had no idea where Malfoy had gotten off to between their argument in the lobby and the counselling session and he was coming to the point where he really couldn’t care. Rolf seemed to buy it, though, as he shot Harry a look full of sympathy.

“I am sorry about that. If I’d realised, then of course I would have tried to do something, but as it is…” He paused, looking slightly awkward. “Well, you’re here now, so how about we make the most of it? Come on, I’ll introduce you to the other couples.”

Harry glanced around the room they had entered as Malfoy caught up to him. ‘Room’ seemed to be the wrong word for it, however. It looked more like the wizarding equivalent of an indoor football field than anything else, with a huge open area covered with grass and an incredibly high ceiling that looked like it could be retracted in good weather. Not that it looked like these islands ever got any good weather, as the storm had yet to let up.

“We decided that we would build this indoor area for when the weather is too inclement for anyone to be out in,” Rolf began explaining as he led them over towards the group. “It’s actually a much more useful place because, with a few environmental charms, it can be landscaped however we need it.”

“Does that mean we’re going to be playing Quidditch at some point?” It had been a long time since Harry had played against anyone other than his friends; it would be good to get some practice against others.

“If you really want to and can organise it, then go right ahead.” There was laughter in Rolf’s voice as he turned to grin at the both of them. “I’m always up for a challenge, so make sure to let me know.”

Harry could really see why he and Luna got along so well: they both had the same sort of skewed view of the world and they were raising their boys to have the same worldview. Rolf was probably the only person Harry could see Luna with, mostly because of his laidback attitude to everything and everyone. He accepted Luna’s quirks with an ease Harry had rarely seen in anyone else. Rolf stopped a few steps in front of them and placed a hand on Luna’s waist. There was a stark contrast between Luna’s dirty blonde hair and pale skin and Rolf’s pitch black hair and olive skin and it caused Harry to smile to himself. Their boys were a strange mix of the two of them; it was an odd sight to see. He was dragged out of his thoughts when Rolf spoke again, this time addressing the group.

“Alright everyone! This is Harry and Draco. I’m sure you are all more than capable of introducing yourselves as you meet each other, just as we did yesterday.”

Harry smiled and nodded at Susan and Terry before scanning the group before him. They were certainly a diverse group, but it looked to him that he and Draco as well as Susan and Terry were the youngest there. The older couple Harry had seen the first night were the only ones to step up to them.

“Good morning,” the man began with a wide smile. Harry automatically shook his hand when he held it out. “My name is Kevin and this is my wife Margery. We come on one of these retreats once every few years because it keeps our relationship healthy.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Harry and this is Draco. We’re not actually partners in the way you and your wife are, but I think we probably want just the same out of this retreat as you do.”

“The building of trust between two people doesn’t have to be romantic in any way,” Margery put in. Her grey hair and kind eyes reminded Harry sharply of Molly Weasley and he couldn’t help smiling at her. “Mary wouldn’t happen to be your therapist here, would she? I have heard that that is one of her specialties.”

Harry smiled. “She is, actually. It’s good to know we’re in good hands, then.”

A snort from Malfoy – Draco – behind him almost caused Harry to roll his eyes, but he controlled the impulse. Remembering that he thought he had spotted another familiar face in the group, he nodded to Kevin and Margery and moved off to scan the group again. A flash of wavy blonde hair caught his attention and he moved closer.

“Harry?”

He blinked as the blonde woman who had been holding hands with another woman came into view. “Penelope? Penelope Clearwater, right?”

The bright smile Penelope offered up could have lit the entire room. She introduced Harry to her partner – a sharp-looking woman a few years older than Harry named Isadora – then proceeded to introduce him and Malfoy to the rest of the group. Harry was fairly certain that he wouldn’t remember many of the names, with the exception of the testy-looking blonde woman and her husband that he had noticed at orientation.

Joy and Barnabas Goldberg stood apart from the rest of the group, looking just as grumpy as they had when Harry had first seen them. Barnabas eyed his wife warily before speaking to Harry, but she seemed to be distracted by something. Following her gaze, Harry’s eyes landed on Malfoy, who was standing a few steps away with his back to her. A strange pressure began to build in Harry’s chest and he stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

“Good morning, Joy. How are you?”

“I’m very good.” She had one of those accents that grated against Harry’s nerves, but he offered her a smile anyway, not wanting to appear rude. “Did I hear you say you and Draco are Auror partners rather than a couple?”

Insult was added on top of the pressure building in Harry’s chest. Not just over her rudeness to him, but for Barnabas as well. It almost seemed like she was checking Malfoy out and for her to do that right in front of both him and her husband… Harry crossed his arms across his chest and pressed his lips together.

“You did, yes. How about you and Barnabas here? How long have you been married for?”

That seemed to bring her up short. She even blushed a little as she answered, but Harry wasn’t really interested anymore. The strange feeling in his chest was dissipating as Joy spoke about herself, leaving Harry more confused than anything else. He put it down to the insult she had offered both him and her husband just before Rolf clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“We’ve got a few fun, little activities for you all this morning,” he announced with a bright smile. “They’re group activities, but we will be setting you some to get done with your partner or by yourself over the next few days. Now, if you would all step this way.”

The space Rolf led them to had two game areas clearly marked. One had what appeared to be a maze drawn on the ground with some kind of chalk and the other had a bunch of different coloured cardboard cups set haphazardly around. Harry stepped up to stand next to Malfoy so he could get a better view and was surprised to see Mary standing just behind Rolf and Luna.

“As you can see, we have your counsellors here with us today, because these two activities are based around trusting your partner.” A huff of breath was the only reaction Malfoy made, but Harry figured that this was probably one of the activities the two of them needed to do, whatever it was. “Now, if you could all stand around this first game, I’ll explain the rules.” Rolf waited until they were standing evenly spaced around the small area with the cups. “This game is a good bit of fun. One partner is blindfolded and has to walk around the space here and step on all of the red cups. The way they do that is by choosing to listen to the directions of someone in the group. Everyone here will be yelling instructions, so not only do you have to try to hear your partner through the noise, but you also have to trust that they are leading you to step on the cups you need to step on.”

Harry nodded; this did sound like fun. Susan and Terry were the first to try, with Susan blindfolded. Choosing to give Susan the correct instructions, Harry began yelling with the rest of them, cheering when she got the right colour and groaning when she stood on the wrong one. By the time Susan had managed to stand on the last red cup, Harry’s throat was sore, but he was grinning like an idiot. It had been a long time since he had played any kind of game like this and it seemed that it was still able to help him relax and just forget the reason they were here. Joy and Barnabas went next. It was obvious that they were in desperate need of help with their marriage, as it looked like Joy chose immediately to not believe a word Barnabas said. She stomped on every colour cup besides red, much to the apparent frustration of her husband.

“Harry, do you want to go next?”

Without even glancing at Malfoy, Harry stepped into the middle of the playing field. His heart began to race with excitement when Rolf blindfolded him and he felt the wash of magic that told him that the board had been reset. Then the yelling began. It was slightly disorientating to hear all those instructions being sometimes bellowed at him and he grinned.

“There’s one just by your right foot!”

“No, step backwards; the closest red is behind you!”

“Ignore him, listen to me!”

Harry took a small step to his left, which resulted in a mixed chorus of encouragement and warnings. It was incredibly difficult to make out Malfoy’s voice in the crowd, causing Harry to wonder whether he was even saying anything. Lifting his foot, he took another step and felt something press beneath his toes. He froze.

“This one?”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“That one is blue.”

The last voice had an incredibly familiar tone to it, so Harry took a chance and removed his foot. Frowning, he tilted his head, trying to hear it again.

“The one you need is just in front of you.”

A shiver ran down Harry’s spine and he rolled his shoulders. Yes, that was definitely Malfoy’s voice; no one else was able to cause tension to ripple along his shoulders like that with just a few words. He crushed the first of the cups and grinned wider when it caused a series of groans and cheers. There were a couple of times where the voice Harry was listening to became frustrated – which he took as a positive sign that it was actually Malfoy – but when the blindfold was removed, he saw that he had managed to get all ten of the red cups and only three of the different colours. Adrenalin pumped through Harry’s veins as he returned to his place around the edge.

“Thank you.”

Malfoy turned to gift Harry with a raised eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

Harry shrugged. “Once I recognised your voice, I figured I’d listen to you. Thank you for not sending me in the wrong direction.”

Malfoy stared at him in silence for a long moment, his expression unreadable. He then nodded sharply and turned back to the game. Harry figured it was a better reaction than he could have expected and returned to the game with enthusiasm.

The second game – the maze – had similar rules: one partner was blindfolded while the other tried to guide them through the maze with their voice only. The rest of the group would, of course, choose whether they were going to help or hinder the walker by shouting instructions of their own. Rolf turned to face Harry and Malfoy first.

“Would you like to try it first, Draco?”

Staring at the maze, Draco felt apprehension ripple through him. The idea of losing one of his senses, even if only temporarily, had been sending little jolts of worry through him since Rolf had first announced the games. He stepped forward, however, not wanting anyone to think he was afraid.

“Alright, here we are,” Rolf mumbled as he tied the blindfold, sounding as though he were speaking to himself. “Now, all you have to do is listen to Harry over the rest of us. Trust that he will lead you in the right direction.”

If Draco could have rolled his eyes, he would have. As it was, he could only huff out a breath as Rolf led him to the start of the maze. The cacophony of voices that hit him the second Rolf stepped away was a little stunning. He knew he could block out the higher-pitched ones and listened instead for Potter’s lower-pitched voice. It was so familiar to him by that time that it took very little for him to recognise it, despite the noise surrounding him. His instinct was to trust that Potter would lead him through the maze without letting him get stuck, but there was still a reluctance that was stopping him from moving. He didn’t trust him in his everyday life; why should he trust him now?

“Come on, Malfoy, _listen_ to me. Take two steps forward.”

Draco drew in a deep breath. _Treat it as a mission._ They weren’t children anymore and this was not a life-threatening situation; there was no reason for him to not listen to Potter. He stepped forward tentatively. This was met by a set of voices raising in volume that drowned Potter out for a few seconds.

“Yes, good, that’s good.” Draco's stomach tingled at Potter’s choice of words and he clenched his hands in an effort to ignore it. “Turn right and take another three steps… Yes, that’s good… Now another four to your left… Yes, yes… Stop, wait, turn around… Good, very good… Now go right…”

Potter’s version of praise wasn’t doing Draco's mental health any favours. By the time he reached the end of the maze, his skin was prickling with sweat and his heart was racing. He pulled the blindfold off and scrubbed a hand over his eyes.

“Well done, Draco.” Rolf was standing just off to his right. “You took very few missteps there.”

Draco nodded to him and moved away so the next person could take his place. He took the long way around the group to his place next to Potter, using the time to try to calm his racing heart. When he made it back, he was greeted with an excited smile.

“Maybe we could try to convince Gawain to try these games when we get back; they’re fun.”

Potter’s enthusiasm sent a combination of his usual lust and annoyance through Draco's chest. He was sure he made some kind of affirmative sound at Potter in response, but spent the rest of the game with his focus more turned inwards. His session with Mary that afternoon couldn’t come fast enough.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter five**

“Good afternoon, Draco. May I congratulate you on a couple of very well-played games this morning?”

Mary smiled wide as she indicated that Draco should sit. Draco offered up a polite smile in return as he claimed the chair closest to the door. He placed the sheet of parchment with the information she had requested on the desk and watched as she scanned it before placing it to the side.

“Thank you. I was unaware that you would be attending.”

“Watching the way people interact with each other is very helpful in my line of work.” She began to rummage in the top drawer of her desk and only continued speaking after she had withdrawn a quill and notebook. “If I am able to get a read on someone when they aren’t on their best behaviour, then it can tell me so much more than any number of sessions here in the office. People tend to try to present their best self in front of me, mostly for fear of me placing the blame entirely on them, I believe. That was why I was so interested in applying for a job here: Luna and Rolf encourage their counsellors to watch the activities they organise. By being able to watch how a couple interacts with each other in their everyday lives, I can get a sense of how to further proceed with their treatment.”

Draco nodded slowly. What she was saying made absolute sense to him, mostly because he knew for a fact that he himself had not presented his true self to her during their first session. It also disturbed him a little, though. He had to wonder exactly what she had picked up from him that he was unaware of; whether some little indication of what he was truly thinking had slipped through as he had interacted with Potter. He pushed the worry aside, though, as he knew that he was there to reveal more about himself to her than she could have possibly picked up in that one little session.

“Alright.” Draco nearly jumped as he was dragged out of his thoughts. “Is there anything in particular you wish to talk about today, or should I just set out a generic programme and see how that works?”

Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He had only ever revealed his feelings for Potter to Pansy and Blaise before this; as far as he knew, there wasn’t another living soul who had any idea how he really felt. Instead of speaking straight away, Draco cast his eyes around the room, taking in the dark wood furnishings accented in pale green. The office was quite calming, but it was having no effect on his racing heart at that moment. He cleared his throat as his eyes fell to his lap, where his hands were clenched around each other. The question of how to even phrase what was running through him occurred, but there was no time left to give it too much thought.

“I wanted to ask you something, actually.”

“You can ask me anything, Draco. Whatever it is, it will stay completely confidential unless you give me permission to tell someone else.”

Her voice was low and oddly soothing, almost sounding as though she was speaking to a scared child. He knew instinctively that he could trust her, although how was beyond him. He sat up a little straighter and schooled his features into what he hoped was a mask of polite enquiry before meeting her eyes.

“Have you ever helped a couple to break up before? I know that your job is to prevent that from happening, but there must have been cases whose relationships were beyond repair; ones you helped to realise that they were better off without each other.”

Mary offered up a sad-looking smile. “You wish to ‘break up’ with Harry, Draco?”

Releasing a breath he didn’t remember beginning to hold, Draco forcibly unclenched his hands so he could lay them on the armrests. “I need to know if it is possible for you to… To help me to not see Potter in the way I currently do. I need to know how to let go of these feelings and move on.”

Draco found himself desperately hoping that she understood what he was saying, because he was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to actually say the words if that was what she required. It seemed as though he was in luck, however, as Mary nodded, a knowing look in her eyes.

“I have helped people to break up and begin to let go of emotions that were no longer healthy for them to hold onto. Are you absolutely certain that that is the way you wish to proceed?”

_No, I want to hopelessly love Potter the rest of my life._ Draco could feel himself wanting to disappear behind a shield of sarcasm and hurtful retorts, but he held himself back by sheer force of will. He nodded as he met Mary’s eyes.

“I’m sure.”

That small declaration sent a shock of pain through his chest, but he ignored it. Potter would never feel the same way about him, so holding onto these emotions was pointless and would only cause him further pain and disappointment in the future. It was time he took control over both himself and what lay ahead of him. And, if he got his way in this, what lay ahead of him was a future where he wasn’t obsessed with Harry Potter; where he could see him and not feel the urge to either fuck him or beat the living hell out of him.

“Good, good,” Mary murmured as she smoothed her hands over the sheet of parchment she had withdrawn from the desk earlier. “As long as you are sure, then we can proceed.”

Spending Draco Malfoy’s solo session in her office teaching him how to overcome his feelings for Harry Potter was not the way Mary had expected the hour to go. What she had been expecting was for him to deny his feelings and to ignore whatever she had to say. The fact that it had been him who brought them up in the first place was actually more than she could have hoped for, as it made her job so much easier. It was a little saddening, though: Harry had absolutely no idea how Draco currently felt for him and by doing this, she was eliminating any chance of him finding out in the future and the two of them having a chance at happiness together.

This was a part of her job that she rarely had to deal with. Most days were quite good for her, when she could help a couple to see each other in a new light and breathe new life into their relationship. She knew this was what was best for Draco, however. If she could help him understand how to let go of these feelings, then maybe they had a chance at being able to work together peacefully.

“You have been trained in Occlumency, right?” She smiled when Draco nodded. “Unfortunately, I am going to have to ask you to not practice it for the rest of the retreat. I need for you to be able to recognise certain emotions when you feel them so you can either deal with them or simply use them to allow yourself to heal. If you would move onto the lounge for me, please?”

Running through what she needed to do, Mary decided on teaching Draco a few simple breathing techniques to begin. She knew that there was a process that a person had to go through in order to let go of such emotions, but it would go a lot smoother for Draco if he had a way to cope with what he was feeling. She moved to sit on one of the chairs before her desk when Draco was sitting on the soft lounge.

“Now, what I am going to teach you is a couple of breathing techniques taught in Muggle yoga classes. They are used to calm the mind when you need to focus or when you are under a lot of stress. This first technique is called ‘equal breathing’. It is used for relaxation and you will be able to use it when you are alone or having troubles sleeping. Are you ready?” Mary could see the apprehension in Draco's eyes, but he nodded anyway, which caused her to smile. “Very good. Alright, close your eyes. Now I want you to breathe in through your nose for a count of four seconds, then breathe out again for another count of four seconds. Very good. Now in again for a count of four… And out for a count of four.”

Watching him, it was plain to see that he was uncomfortable, but Mary knew that these exercises worked, so she pressed on. She allowed Draco to continue on his own after a little while. With his eyes closed, she was free to study him as she wished. It was easy to tell that he was used to being under a lot of stress – even for an Auror – so it was good to see him relaxing in tiny increments as he continued with the exercise. She was almost hesitant to break his concentration, but she knew it had to be done.

“Excellent, Draco,” she murmured, trying to keep her voice level enough to not startle him. “This technique is best used for when you physically need to relax. Please keep your eyes closed; it will help you to concentrate. Now, this next technique is for when you are under stress, feeling anxious, or there is a lot of outside pressure being placed on you. I need you to place one hand on your stomach and one on the top of your chest. Can you feel your chest rising and falling?” He nodded again. “Alright, I want you to take the deepest breath you can – slowly – and allow yourself to feel your chest and diaphragm expanding. You should be able to feel a stretch in your lungs when your diaphragm stretches with air. Once you feel that stretch, I want you to let the breath out just as slowly. The goal you are reaching for is to be able to take ten slow, deep breaths like this a minute for ten minutes a day. Doing this will help to lower your heart rate and blood pressure, because when we are stressed, we tend to breathe only from the top half of our chests.”

Mary fell silent again, watching Draco practicing the exercise. She knew it would take him a little while before he got the hang of it completely, but this was a good start. When she estimated that he had rid himself of any lingering anger, stress or anxiety, she asked him to reopen his eyes. They looked a little glazed at first, which caused her to smile.

“You’ve done quite well for someone who has never done these kinds of exercises before; congratulations.” The tiny smile Draco offered up in response still looked a little dazed, but that was only to be expected when someone had been breathing like that for as long as he had been. “Now, for the second part of our session today.”

“There’s more?”

Mary smiled and managed to just hold back a chuckle. “Unfortunately, yes. I asked you to not practice your Occlumency for the rest of the retreat. Can you hazard a guess as to why?”

Draco was silent for a few seconds before he met her eyes. “To let go of this, I need to really feel it, don’t I?”

There was a resignation to his voice that sent a shot of sympathy through Mary’s chest. “You do, I’m sorry. I also have some more bad news. There is no fool-proof way to let go of emotions like these. I can give you methods that when used with your new breathing techniques, should help, but I can’t just wave my wand and force you to not feel anything.”

A steely determination entered Draco's eyes as he stared at her. “I don’t want to not feel anything. There have been times in my life I wished for that reprieve, but not this time. This is something I know I need to just let go of, so whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated.”

Nodding slowly, Mary smiled. She had left this part of the session until last to give Draco time to think about what he had asked, but if he was as determined as he appeared at that moment, then she would press on.

“There are two pieces of information that I can give you that may help. The first is to allow yourself to grieve.” She paused when he scoffed. “Draco, how many relationships have you had in the past? Real relationships, where you felt at least something akin to love for whoever you were with?”

It almost looked as though he was about to close himself off again, but he resisted at the last second. He pressed his lips together firmly before answering.

“Two.”

“Not including what you feel for Harry?”

“No.”

“When these relationships broke up, did you allow yourself to feel upset, or angry, or disappointed?”

“Of course I did, but this is different.”

“How?”

“I haven’t – We’ve never…” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I loved those other two men in more than one way. I nearly moved in with one of them, we had sex, we knew each other’s routines and we made allowances for each other. I’ve never had any of that with Potter so–”

“Harry.”

“I can’t… Excuse me?” Draco stopped in the middle of his rant and stared at her as if she had grown a second head.

“His name is Harry; it might help if you used it.”

Draco threw himself back against the soft cushions on the lounge and let out a gusty breath, his frustration with her clear. “How? How could using the git’s name _possibly_ make this situation any better for me?”

“You’re correct; it may not help with your current situation. Please remember, however, that the reason you are seeing me is to learn how to get along with Harry. Using his given name, even if it is only in your mind for the time being, will make that goal much easier to reach.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Fine. I can’t grieve what I haven’t had with _Harry_.”

Mary had to fight down the urge to smile at his sarcasm. “Perhaps not, but it is very possible for you to grieve over something you wished to have and were denied.” She waited to see if her words would have any effect on him. When his only reaction was to cock an eyebrow at her, she smiled and decided to move on. “The second piece of advice I wish to give you is to tell you to acknowledge the fact that you have these emotions, allow yourself to feel them, then move on with your day. I know it may not seem like much, but as you don’t have the luxury of being able to avoid Harry altogether, acknowledging your emotions but not letting them control you may be your best chance at overcoming them.”

Silence spread between the two of them, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Draco sat and stared into the middle distance, absorbing what Mary had told and taught him. If he used the breathing techniques with the second part of what she had told him – acknowledge your emotions and move on – then he thought he might just have a chance at this. He was incredibly sceptical over the idea of grieving for something he had never had, so maybe if he just tried these two things first, he could attempt the grieving process when he was safely ensconced back in the privacy of his own home. The buzz of the session timer jolted him out of his thoughts.

Going through the motions of thanking Mary for her time and the advice she had given him was so engrained in him that Draco didn’t really remember it. He was so much more focussed on their session that he didn’t really pay attention to where he was going until he found himself in the cafeteria. Glancing around quickly, he figured that there was no harm in nipping in and pilfering a few chocolates. He would need the sugar rush for energy the next time he saw Potter.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

They started the fourth day with another set of ‘trust building exercises’. These ones were much less physical, though. Sitting in the same auditorium they had had the orientation in, each couple was separated from the others and informed that they had to spend at least an hour just talking to each other. Draco sat stiffly on the soft chair he had claimed, thankful that they had managed to grab a spot that didn’t force them to look directly at each other if they didn’t want to. No matter how easy Mary’s techniques were, it didn’t make him any more comfortable with the idea of testing them out.

“So…” Potter looked almost as uncomfortable with the idea of just talking to each other as Draco felt. “I have no idea what to say.”

“You think I do?”

Yesterday morning had been easier for Draco to deal with than any other time at this retreat, with the exception of Potter’s poor choice of words during the maze game. Now that he had his emotions mostly under control – and advice from Mary on how to proceed forward – he was thinking much more clearly. He definitely preferred having control over himself than the unmanageable anger he had been feeling the first day there and he knew he mostly had Pansy to thank for him being able to clear his mind.

“Will we get into trouble if we just sit here, do you think?”

Unable to help it, Draco rolled his eyes. “We’re not in school anymore, Potter.”

“Seems like I’m not the only one who needs to be reminded of that.” The words were hissed, causing Draco to meet Potter’s eyes. “When Gawain told us we’d been signed up for this retreat, you told me that I’m half the problem here. Well, maybe it’s time you took some responsibility for your own actions, because I’m not the one who constantly starts the arguments.”

Staring into the depths of Potter’s eyes, Draco took a somewhat shaky breath. “I–”

“No, shut up. I think I do know what I want to say. I know that we don’t get along personally. I can take full responsibility for my part in that, because I know I never once gave you a chance to prove to me that you were anything beyond what you appeared to be. However, I thought that after the war, things would start to cool down between us. Without the pressure of Voldemort hanging over either of us, we should have been able to calm down a little. And don’t try to deny that he influenced a lot of your actions and attitudes in school, because I know that’s bullshit. We are both grown adults; we shouldn’t be spending most of our time together sniping at each other.” He paused for a few seconds to take a couple of breaths. Draco kept his mouth firmly shut as he watched him, partially out of shock and partially because of his unacceptably strong sense of curiosity at what else Potter was going to say. “I… Look, when I made that decision about you, I was eleven years old, for fuck’s sake. It shouldn’t carry on into our work lives, I know that. The reason I didn’t object to coming here is because I know that we need to sort this out and I also know that we can’t do that by ourselves. I really think that this place can help us out.”

He fell silent, his chest moving rapidly with his breathing. The glint that had entered his eyes held Draco captive for longer than he knew it should have and he only shook himself out of his stunned daze when Potter leant back into his own chair. Draco didn’t even remember seeing him lean forward, he had been so caught up in what he was saying. It was still incredibly tempting to retort with sarcasm or an insult, but a quick glance around the room held Draco back.

Most of the rest of the room were speaking to each other in hushed tones, some of them already looking like they would much rather be in their suite than in public. The only others who looked like they were arguing were the blonde woman and her husband they had been introduced to the day before – Joy and Barnabas. Draco sat and watched them for a few seconds, her face contorting with obvious disdain. Barnabas was looking more and more harried by the second as his wife spoke and, besides sending a shot of unwanted sympathy for Barnabas through him, it helped Draco to come to a decision. That was not him. He would neither be abused like that without taking action, nor would he ever again treat someone else like that. He had joined the Auror Corps in the hope of making up for his past mistakes and if he had to sort out his issues with Potter in order to achieve that, then that was exactly what he would do. Or at least, he would try.

“Fine, you want to talk?” Draco met Potter’s eyes, enjoying the tension crackling between them for a few seconds before continuing. “Tell me what it was about an eleven year old boy that was so repulsive that it caused these kinds of issues for so long?”

He had no idea where the thought had come from, but finding out exactly what it was about him that Potter disliked so much now seemed like a brilliant idea. Potter stayed quiet for a long time, seeming to just stare off into space. The murmurs of the other conversations echoed to them, but Draco was unable to make out any words. It seemed to him that they were the only ones who were having issues speaking the whole time, as there was an unbroken buzz of voices in the room. He had no idea how long he waited for Potter to respond, but Luna was beginning to give them worried looks before Potter spoke again.

“You reminded me of my cousin, Dudley.” Potter’s voice was low and serious, changing the mood between them quite effectively.

Draco frowned, wondering if he had misheard. “Your cousin Dudley?”

Potter’s eyes closed and a small crease formed in-between them. “He spent his entire life making my life miserable. He beat me, he teased me, and he encouraged his friends to do the same.” He paused and Draco became aware of the fact that he had clenched his hands on the armrests of the chair, but was unable to unclench them at that moment. “We get along alright now, but I don’t speak to either of his parents.”

A strange sense of combined surprise and shame made itself known in Draco's chest, creeping slowly along his limbs and causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand. Harry Potter had thought him a bully from the very first time they met. Draco's eyes slid to the floor as he let that fact sink in. The simple act of introducing himself had sealed him into a hated category for Potter that he had never been able to drag himself out of; not that he remembered trying to. He had never known – never had the opportunity to find out – why Potter had taken such a quick dislike to him. That had been one of the main driving forces behind his own dislike of Potter: why should he try to be nice to someone who so obviously didn’t like him? He breathed out a slow breath as the feeling of discomfort increased; he knew Potter hadn’t been wrong about him.

“I never hated you.”

Draco jumped and only just managed to stop himself from glaring at Potter. “What?”

“I never hated you. Or Dudley, for that matter.” The uncomfortable feeling grew at the quiet tone to Potter’s voice. “It was damn near impossible to get over, though. Considering I never thought I’d see you again after I returned your wand, adjusting my view of you just never seemed that important. Then we were thrown together at work and things just continued on the way they always had…” He shook his head. “I didn’t know how to stop.”

A brief rise in the volume of the voices in the hall distracted Draco for a few seconds and he glanced around quickly. When nothing seemed too wrong, he refocussed. This confession was so much more than he had been expecting out of the entire retreat, let alone one day, and the uncomfortableness of it was causing him to almost squirm with shame. He spared a few seconds to mentally curse Mary for telling him to not make use of his Occlumency skills, as this whole thing would be so much easier to deal with if he wasn’t being distracted by every single little thing he felt. Why Potter had chosen to confront him with this now instead of bringing it up in the therapy session, he had no idea. He also had absolutely no idea how to respond.

“I…” Draco paused and shook his head, his skin still prickling with unease. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his back in an attempt to alleviate it. “I don’t know how to respond.”

He figured it was probably best to just admit that part, rather than sit there in increasingly uncomfortable silence. His eyes slid to Potter when he shifted in his seat. Running a hand through his hair, Potter continued to fidget, obviously feeling the same unease over this conversation as Draco. The move caused his hair to stand on end and Draco's fingers twitched with a sudden desire to flatten it. He clenched them tighter on the arms of his chair in an attempt to suppress it and looked away.

“Well, what the fuck did you expect?” Draco's head snapped up at the sound of a female voice raised in anger. “That we would come here and everything would just magically fix itself?”

Draco was on his feet and moving towards Joy and Barnabas without a second thought. The tingle of discomfort over the conversation drained quickly from him when he heard Harry close on his heels. This is what they were actually good at: subduing other people’s problems, not working on their own. The fact that he had just thought of Harry as _Harry_ didn’t occur to him in his haste to get across the room.

Joy was standing bent at the waist and yelling at Barnabas, who was still sitting in his chair. Shoving everything else to the back of his mind, Draco felt his professional calm come over him. A hand landed on his shoulder just as he went to step up to Joy.

“You take the husband; I’ve got her.”

“Afraid I’ll steal your man? No wonder you need counselling.”

Harry could feel his face heating as he herded Joy away from Malfoy and her husband. “No, ma’am. You just need a little time to yourself to calm down, that’s all.”

He automatically stepped to block her view of where he knew Malfoy and the husband were probably still standing. It was much better if she couldn’t see them, he figured; it might give her a chance to cool down from whatever had set her off.

“He’s quite pretty.”

“What?” Harry frowned. “Who?”

Joy leant close enough that Harry could almost count her fake lashes covered in mascara. “ _Draco_ …”

Revulsion combined with a fleeting emotion that Harry had a hard time placing filled his chest, causing his stomach to clench and his posture to stiffen. “You are married.”

“And _you_ are afraid of losing what you apparently don’t have.”

A look of triumph crossed her face when Harry’s mouth opened and closed. She thought he was attracted to Malfoy? The idea quite literally left him speechless until Luna made her presence known with a small cough behind him. After a quick check over his shoulder to see that Malfoy had moved Barnabas out of their line-of-sight, Harry offered Luna a smile.

“Thank you for that, Harry.” Luna’s wide eyes, as always, held a cheerful spark to them that Harry hadn’t seen dulled in years. “Shall we go find your partner?”

Frowning at her choice of words to describe Malfoy, Harry glanced over his shoulder. Rolf and one of the counsellors were heading towards them, obviously wanting to speak to Joy. Harry stepped backwards and around them so he could move up next to Luna.

“Do you think maybe you should have some kind of security force here for moments like this? Joy could have really hurt someone.”

“You and Draco were here, Harry.”

Unable – and unwilling – to prevent it, Harry grinned. Luna’s ability to trust in him completely was something that Harry had always admired. His smile widened when she linked her arm through his.

“Come on; I think Draco took Barney into one of the locker rooms.”

Walking with Luna by his side, Harry quickly ran through what it would take to build a security force for this retreat. Prices of private security firms were discarded just as quickly as they occurred to him; this was a small retreat not making much money yet. Maybe Ron and Hermione would be able to help? With Ron’s contacts around the Wizarding World and Hermione’s within the Ministry, they were sure to know some way of helping Luna and Rolf out. Joy’s assumptions about his feelings for Malfoy were forgotten as they walked, replaced with a sense of purpose that Harry was determined to fulfil.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

“Harry? Why… What are you doing in our fire?”

Harry grinned at the dumbfounded sound to Hermione’s voice. “Calling my friends.”

It took a few seconds for the confusion to clear from Hermione’s face, but when it did, she shot him the brightest smile he had seen in a while. She called out to Ron, then settled herself on the hearthrug before the fire.

“Kingsley told us about the mix up with the papers. How is everything?”

“Have you given in to the desire to beat the crap out of Malfoy yet?”

Harry could feel himself relaxing as Ron sat down next to Hermione, his arm draped loosely around her waist. “Everything is… strange. And I have come damn close to beating him at least once, thanks for asking.”

The wide grin Ron shot him in response was quickly quashed by the disapproving glare Hermione bestowed on the both of them. “Now, Harry, you know that getting along with Malfoy is important. You shouldn’t be making light of this situation.”

Unable to help it, Harry grinned again. “It’s alright, Hermione, I’m not making light of anything. This retreat is… Well, I think it might be helping a little.” His mind ran over the games from yesterday and the almost-conversation he had had with Malfoy that day. Once again, it had been driven home to him that when they were able to concentrate on something other than themselves, he and Malfoy made a good team. “I have my first solo session booked with the counsellor tomorrow afternoon; Malfoy seems to be making some kind of progress, because he hasn’t tried to start anything serious with me for the past two days and it really does seem that when we finally manage to work this out, we will be a good team. We just have to work through everything.” This little speech was met by an approving smile from Hermione and an astonished look from Ron. “I know how weird it sounds, Ron, but I really do think that Gawain is right about this. If we manage to stop fighting, we could be quite a good team.”

“And anything that makes for a better workplace has to be a good thing.” There was a tone to Hermione’s voice that told Harry that she believed that that was the end of that conversation. “I’m going to grab a cup of tea. I’ll be back soon, Harry, so you can tell me all about what’s been happening.”

Harry watched her go, shaking his head a little. She hadn’t changed much since school, with the intervening years just giving her more knowledge to back up whatever it was she was arguing for. His attention was grabbed when Ron leant close to the fireplace.

“So, what’s really been going on? Has Malfoy been giving you any shit?” Ron’s version of whispering left a lot to be desired and Harry couldn’t help letting out a small laugh. “And what about Luna and Rolf? What do they seem to think of this?”

“Actually, Luna and Rolf have been really good through all of this. The second day, right after we found out that we couldn’t leave, me and Malfoy had this screaming match in the lobby. I mean real, in your face, _screaming_ , like we haven’t done in years.” Harry shook his head; most of their fights these days tended to involve hexes or fists rather than simple verbal taunts. “It must be something that happens quite a lot, because nothing was said about it at all. Not even the counsellor has mentioned anything about it.”

Ron huffed out a noise that sounded like he was scoffing at something. “You know, I was always suspicious of him in school.”

“Yeah, Ron, I think I got that from all the times you helped me conspire against him.”

“No, no, not like that…” Ron paused, a small frown creasing his brow. “I think he had a bit of a crush on you in school, Harry.”

Unable to help it, Harry almost collapsed with helpless laughter. The very idea that Draco Malfoy could be harbouring secret feelings for him was ludicrous at best. An insulted sound from Ron had Harry raising his head and wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Oi, I’m serious!”

Harry snorted with laughter again, but managed to control it long enough to respond after a few seconds. “So, what, if I were a girl, he’d be pulling my pigtails?”

“Well, no, because he’s gay. If you were a girl, he’d just have been a complete arse bullying a girl.” He stopped as a wondering look entered his eyes. “Harry, Malfoy’s _gay_.”

“Yeah, Ron, I think I got that point from the fact that he’s never seen with a girl.”

“You’re gay too.”

“Really?”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Maybe this retreat won’t be such a bad thing for you.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s been a while, right? Use the time to get laid.”

Harry choked. On what, he had no idea, but he was coughing so badly, he had to withdraw his head from the fire. Waving his wand blindly, he managed to Summon a bottle of water from the cooler near the window and gulp half of it down to clear his throat. Panting, he glared at the fireplace, debating whether he should re-connect the call.

“What’s wrong with you?”

The sound of Malfoy’s voice caused Harry to blush a deep crimson. A quick glance to the doorway of the bedroom showed Malfoy standing with his arms crossed across his chest. Images flew through Harry’s mind: he and Malfoy in bed with Malfoy’s skin glistening with sweat and a sated expression on his pointed features was the domineering one. Harry shook his head violently as a sharp jab of lust shot through him. Ron was right, it had been a while.

“Nothing, I… Nothing.”

Annoyance crossed Malfoy’s face before he spun on his heel and stalked back into the bedroom. Sitting in front of the fire, Harry took a few, hopefully calming breaths. Absolutely refusing to acknowledge the images that had been floating through his mind, Harry grabbed another pinch of Floo powder and through it into the flames.

“That appealing a suggestion, was it?”

“You… He was right there!”

“Hey, I don’t want details!”

Harry spluttered with combined indignation and laughter for a few seconds before Hermione re-entered the room, cup of tea in hand. Almost as though by mutual consent, both he and Ron subdued, the topic forgotten for the time being. She shot them both a strange look, but neither of them offered up an explanation.

“So how are Luna and Rolf, Harry?”

Finding himself thankful that she didn’t question them on what the noise had been, Harry settled in for a long conversation. He filled them in on Luna and Rolf, and ran his security force idea past them. Hermione, of course, had some immediate suggestions and Ron seemed to think that some of Charlie’s friends might be able to help out in the beginning to help cut costs, which Harry was thankful for.

He had to fight back another blush when Hermione asked about Malfoy and how they had been getting along. Ron’s smirk didn’t help things at all, either. However, it seemed that now the idea had been planted in his mind, it would take a while for Harry to un-see what he had imagined. Hermione did express a little concern over how slow their progress had been and Harry had to confess that his free time probably wasn’t supposed to be being spent talking to the two of them in the Floo, but it was so good to be able to see them again that he really didn’t care. He was so used to being able to just pop by their house whenever he wanted to that it was incredibly strange to have not been there for a few days.

It was dark by the time Harry cut the call off. A quick look at the clock on the wall told him that it was more than late enough to go to bed and he snuck into the bedroom to grab his pyjamas. Malfoy was already in the bed, but it was difficult to tell if he was asleep already. Standing and just looking at him, Joy’s words from earlier in the day came back to Harry. _He’s quite pretty_. Lying on his back with his pale hair spread on the pillow and his pointed features relaxed, Harry found himself quietly agreeing with her. Not that Malfoy had ever really been ugly… He shook his head. Bloody Ron planting bloody stupid ideas in his mind! Turning from the bed, he moved off into the bathroom to change, trying to force the image of Malfoy naked and panting from his mind.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Draco awoke early the next day and went to shower before Potter awoke. The day before had been strange for him, being the first full day he had attempted to not use his Occlumency skills. This day would be better, though, he knew. They had managed to organise a Quidditch game and it was the one thing Draco had actually found himself looking forward to. Being up in the air with nothing to worry about other than whether he could find the Snitch first held so much more appeal than what the retreat had originally had organised for that morning: alone time with your partner. He knew that these activities were designed for actual couples, but Joy and Barnabas had shown quite clearly the day before that if a couple was going to fight, then they would, no matter how much ‘together time’ they had.

The thought of Joy brought back a memory that, for Draco, was more than a little confusing. He could have sworn that she had been taunting Potter about her trying to steal Draco away from him. Why she would think that that would have any effect on Potter was beyond him, because Potter hadn’t shown any interest in him in all the time they had known each other. He pushed the thought aside as he hopped out of the shower, deciding that it had just been a taunt; something to say to try to get under Potter’s skin. They were both used to such taunts from the criminals they arrested, so it was easy enough for Draco to dismiss.

The early morning passed by peacefully enough, with Draco finding it much easier to ignore Potter than he had when they had first arrived at the retreat. He knew that Mary had been right about him needing to have some distance from Potter in order to clear his head and start to get over these feelings, but the breathing exercises and the idea of simply letting go of whatever he felt was working fine for the time being. By the time everyone had gathered in the stadium for the Quidditch game, Draco was even in quite a good mood.

He stood towards the back of the group who had gathered, simply watching what was going on at first. It seemed to him that they might only have four to a side, but that didn’t really bother him. What was beginning to grate on his nerves, however, was the irritating sound of Joy’s voice as she nagged her husband.

“We’re supposed to be spending this time together, Barney.”

“Then grab a broom, Joy, because I am going to be playing Quidditch this morning.”

Draco shuddered in horror at the idea of having to play with Joy. Taking a step closer to the group, he didn’t realise who he was standing next to until a cheerful voice spoke close to him.

“Have you played much since school?”

Draco's mind raced as he turned and was greeted by the smiling face of Terry Boot. He could feel his defences trying to come up again, but he held back, trying to stay as true to his promise to Mary as he could. He offered Terry a polite smile.

“Not as much as I would have liked.”

“A few of the boys and I have a weekend league going. It’s nowhere near professional, but you and Harry should come along one time, see if you like it.”

Draco nodded stiffly. “I’ll mention it to him.”

He moved as far away as he could get without actually leaving the group. He knew that everyone there knew that he and Potter weren’t in a relationship, so why Terry had just assumed… He shook his head. No, he wasn’t going to allow something like that to distract him that day. He was going to have some fun, he was not going to be worried about showing more to Potter than he should be and he certainly wasn’t going to become distracted by what people thought about him. He almost jumped when he heard his name being called.

“Malfoy! You can be Seeker for our team, right?” Draco's stomach flipped pleasantly when Potter grinned at his silent nod. “Good. That means we have a Keeper, a Seeker, and two Chasers for both teams. Let’s go!”

Grabbing a broom from the pile on the ground in front of him – they were all of the same poor quality – Draco stepped away from Potter and took a deep breath. He released the breath as he kicked off from the ground, knowing the feeling of freedom he always got from flying would help him to clear his mind. The cool air rushed past him as he rose higher and higher, pushing all thoughts of Potter and Terry Boot and emotions he didn’t want to be feeling to the back of his mind. He felt nearly as at home on a broom as he did in the flat he had purchased after the end of the war and he couldn’t help smiling as he took a lap around the pitch.

“Alright,” Rolf called from across the pitch. “We’ll play until one team scores five goals or lunch time, whichever happens first.”

Draco nodded, his mind already on the game. His team consisted of him and Potter, as well as Terry and Susan. Rolf was teamed with Luna, Barney and one of the other women whom Draco knew he had been introduced to the other day. Penelope, was it? He shrugged; who cared, as long as she didn’t get in his way. It looked to him that his team definitely held the advantage, as Luna had claimed the Seeker position for her team. He heard a whistle blow and they were off.

Draco scanned for the Snitch as he hovered above the game, but his eyes were more on the gameplay itself. Potter had always been a brilliant flier and it seemed that Rolf was his equal as they raced around the pitch. They had placed Susan in as Keeper and it was almost amusing watching Terry and the other team’s Chaser – Barney – trying to keep up with Rolf and Potter. His hands clenched on the broom handle as Rolf threw the Quaffle towards the goal, but Susan managed to surprise him by stopping it handily. Draco automatically shot her an approving look before taking off in search of the Snitch again.

Adrenalin pumped through his veins as he flew, heightening his senses and causing his muscles to twitch every time something exciting happened. Potter and Rolf took control of the game, swooping and swerving around each other, but it was Terry who scored the first goal.

“Yes!”

Draco's eyes fell immediately to Potter’s face as he cheered. The wide, unrestrained smile that lit his face had Draco's stomach flipping again. He took a few seconds to test out Mary’s theory: he enjoyed the rush of desire before taking a breath and refocussing on the game. It seemed to work relatively well, as adrenalin rushed through him again when he swooped over the game. He honestly couldn’t tell whether it was because Mary’s technique actually worked or because there was something right in front of him keeping him distracted, but right at that moment, he couldn’t care. His heat rate jumped when he saw Luna swooping from the corner of his eye.

Turning his broom, he followed her down through the other players, watching for any glint of gold. He put on a burst of speed when he spotted it: a tiny flash down by the bottom of the opposite team’s goals. He could hear people yelling and cheering, but he ignored the lot of them. He knew he was the better flier, but Luna had a head start on him. Leaning close to the handle, he concentrated on the Snitch. It darted back and forth before zipping straight upwards. Draco yanked up on his broom, managing to tilt it upwards before he crashed, but by the time he could focus on anything else, the Snitch had disappeared again.

“Too bad, Draco! Nice try, though.”

Draco nodded to Terry, who seemed to have simply decided that they were on friendly terms. Zooming back up so he could fly above the game, Draco watched and waited. The Quaffle was passed between the four Chasers sometimes so quickly that it was difficult to keep track of it. Of course, keeping half his attention on Luna was distracting him as well. He watched as Potter ducked and swerved, laughing as he threw the Quaffle to Terry and catching it when it was sent back. His heart rate kicked up another few notches as Terry swooped and claimed the Quaffle from Barney’s fingertips. He chucked it to Potter, who ducked Rolf and threw it through the goal.

“Yes!” Lost in the moment, Draco began applauding. “Well done!”

The game continued, with both teams scoring against each other. Draco's nerves seemed to be singing with the adrenalin pumping through him. Twice more he spotted the Snitch and twice more it disappeared just before he could grasp it. Luna was proving to be an alright flier, but she had nothing on him and he knew that if he could just speed his broom up, he would end the game. As focussed as he was on finding the Snitch, he didn’t register that something had gone wrong until there was a panicked shout. He glanced down and saw someone crumpled on the ground, the handle of their broom snapped in two; someone with messy dark hair who was wearing Muggle clothing.

Draco's stomach swooped faster than his broom had managed all day. Pointing the broom towards the ground, he almost caused an accident of his own in his haste to reach Potter’s side. He stumbled as he landed and threw his broom off to the side.

“Harry…”

Draco fell to his knees beside him, his heart racing so quickly he was surprised he couldn’t hear it. He waved his wand over Harry’s prone form, casting a quick diagnostic charm. A low groan had him breathing a sigh of relief. The charm told him Harry had broken his right arm and Draco reached out automatically to place a hand on Harry’s left shoulder.

“I’m good... I’m…” Potter rolled over, meeting Draco's eyes “I’m…”

It was easy to see the pain that creased Harry’s eyes and it caused a kind of pain to rush through Draco's chest. He only vaguely heard the sounds of the other players landing and beginning to mill around, caught as he was in Harry’s glassy stare. It wasn’t until a hand landed on his shoulder that Draco was able to break away. Glancing up, he saw sympathy in Rolf’s dark eyes. It caused Draco’s old defences to snap up around him.

“That was brilliant, Potter,” he sneered as he stood and replaced his wand in its holster. “A broken arm. That’s just fucking fantastic.”

“What?”

The bewilderment that now entered Potter’s still slightly glassy eyes caused a shot of guilt through Draco's chest, but there was no way Draco was going to allow him to see how much he had scared him. He summoned his best disdainful look to bestow on Potter, who was now struggling to stand up.

“If you continue to fuck up this badly, where does that leave me? Relegated to desk work until you heal, that’s where.”

The thunderous scowl that crossed Potter’s face made it so much easier for Draco to respond with a sneer. He backed off a few steps so he was out of easy reaching distance when Potter made it to his feet.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot that the entire fucking world revolves around _you_. Do you only care about yourself?”

Draco's eyes slid shut briefly as another shot of pain made itself known in his chest. He was now far enough away from Potter to feel safe turning around.

“Of course not,” he mumbled as he finally made his escape, a combination of self-pity and humiliation speeding his steps.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

“How’s your arm?”

“Better, thanks.” Holding it out in front of him, Harry ran his eyes over where the on-site mediwizard had Healed the bone. “It still aches, but I know that won’t last long; it’s not the first broken bone I’ve had.”

He offered Mary a small smile as she nodded. Malfoy had disappeared completely from the Quidditch pitch that morning, so Harry had yet to have a chance to confront him over the argument they had had. Not that he knew what he would say to him, because there was more than Malfoy’s shitty attitude that apparently needed to be addressed. It had almost seemed for a few seconds as though Malfoy was genuinely concerned for him. There had been a moment after he had managed to roll over when Malfoy had just watched him with something that looked very much like a deep need, but Harry knew he must have imagined it. At the time, he had put it down to a combination of Ron planting the idea of sleeping with Malfoy in his mind and an almost delirium caused by the pain in his arm, but after examining the memory, he was now not so sure. It was so confusing, not being able to tell if he was imagining these little moments between the two of them.

“Harry?”

He jumped. “Sorry.”

“It’s perfectly alright.” Mary smiled warmly at him, radiating an almost maternal air. “Would you prefer to postpone our session until tomorrow? I know that suffering this kind of physical trauma can be distracting. Perhaps it would be easier for you to just relax this afternoon. You can come back tomorrow morning.”

“You can do that? Just reorder the way things are supposed to go so late in the retreat?”

“I certainly can if I absolutely need to. I count a client who has suffered trauma from a broken limb to be an absolute need, so off you go.”

A sense of relief washed through Harry and he smiled when he realised how tense he had been. “Alright, as long as I’m not putting one of the others out.”

“Not at all. I’ll see you tomorrow right after breakfast.” She paused a few seconds as Harry stood. “And Harry? If you are going to try to find Draco, go easy on him, please. Remember that the reason you are here is to learn to get along.”

There was now no question in Harry’s mind that Mary had been informed about the fights the two of them had had in public while they were there. The idea of going easy on Malfoy wasn’t appealing at all, but he did have to admit that she was right about him having to remember why they had been sent there in the first place. He handed over his sheet of filled in parchment she had requested, then thanked her absently before leaving the office.

Walking slowly down the hallway, Harry had meant to head straight back to the suite, knowing Mary was also right about him needing to rest after an injury like this. His damnable curiosity got the better of him, however. He stopped in the middle of the lobby, wondering exactly where Malfoy had gotten himself off to.

The only thing he knew for certain was that he wasn’t in either the suite or the med clinic; the rest of the facility was up for exploration, though. Harry ignored the voice in the back of his mind that told him he was indulging in his old habit of stalking Malfoy as he walked slowly down the hall that led to the cafeteria. This wasn’t stalking, he rationalised; this was him going to confront Malfoy over his behaviour. The cafeteria was empty with the exception of the chef.

“Hello, Harry! I heard about your arm. Here, have a little pick-me-up.”

Harry caught the thrown chocolate adeptly and shot the elder man a grin. “You wouldn’t happen to have seen Malfoy around here would you?”

“Can’t say I have, sorry.”

Harry thanked him and moved on, now slowly munching on his chocolate. A second hall led out of the cafeteria; one that Harry hadn’t been down before. A couple of signs told him he had the choice of going onwards to the library, or turning left into some place called the ‘quiet area’. Glancing down both hallways, Harry impulsively decided on the library, as it seemed a more Malfoy place to sulk.

The library wasn’t big, but there were a lot of shelves filling the room. Each shelf reached the ceiling and was full to the brim with books. Harry paused to simply take it all in, including the unique smell libraries tended to get after a while; that combination of old books and dust. It reminded him sharply of Hermione and he smiled. He crumbled the chocolate wrapper and stuffed it into the pocket of his jeans, the reminder of Hermione bringing back lectures on why food wasn’t allowed in libraries.

The only sound in the room was the pounding of the rain outside, lending an almost haunted feel to the gloomy room. Harry desperately wanted to light his wand, but he held back. This room seemed the most likely place for Malfoy to have fled to and if he was in here, Harry didn’t want to give him any kind of warning that he wasn’t alone. He was about to give up and retrace his steps when the slide of paper on paper caught his attention. He froze, hardly daring to breathe as he listened intently. It didn’t take long until he heard the tell-tale _fwip_ of a page being turned. Moving silently, Harry made his way to the back of the library.

He found Malfoy sitting in a window seat, a book in his hands. It looked more to Harry that he was staring out the window at the rain than actually reading, especially considering there was hardly any light to see by. Watching him from between the bookshelves, Harry took in the fact that Malfoy had removed his robes and folded them neatly on the opposite end of the bench he was sitting on. The sight of him in just a white button-up and a pair of black trousers sent something shivering through Harry’s stomach, but he ignored it. There was an incredible sense of loneliness emanating from Malfoy that held Harry back from the confrontation he had been seeking and caused him to re-evaluate his purpose for being there. The situation sharply reminded him of their sixth year and, remembering how badly that encounter had gone as well as Mary’s words to him earlier, he decided to tread lightly with Malfoy this time. Besides that, he was in no mood to be dodging Unforgivables. Contemplating how to proceed, he shuffled forward, but accidentally kicked the shelves. The resulting thump seemed to echo in the quiet room and Harry couldn’t help sighing. There went his thinking time.

“Who’s there?” Malfoy was on his feet in seconds, his wand pointing at the entry to his aisle.

“Whoa, don’t shoot. I come in peace.”

Harry raised his hands and stepped out, unable to help a small smile when Malfoy didn’t react to the Muggle phrase. The dark scowl he was gifted with had his skin tingling, but he resisted the urge to pull his wand on Malfoy in retaliation.

“What do you want?”

“To talk. Lower your wand.”

“Talk?” Malfoy scoffed, but lowered his wand. “You never want to just talk to me. There’s always something driving you; paranoia, distrust, I don’t bloody know.” His eyes trailed up and down Harry before he turned from him. “Leave me alone for once.”

“No.”

“‘No’?” Malfoy spun around, his grey eyes flashing. “What the hell is your problem, Potter? Why can’t you just respect that I don’t want to talk to you?”

A hot flash of anger lit through Harry’s chest and his hands clenched by his sides. “ _My_ problem? Who was the one screaming at me in front of nearly the entire retreat not an hour ago? Who was the one who confronted me in the lobby the other day? Who was the one who abused one of my friends to get us sent here in the first place? Unless someone is running around with some Polyjuice, I’d say it was you.” He forcibly unclenched his hands and shook them out, trying to rid himself of some of the anger. “I’ve already told you, I am more than prepared to take responsibility for my part in our problems. But you know what? It’s time for you to step up, actually be a man and take some of the responsibility yourself.”

Harry frowned in confusion when he realised he’d stepped forward during this little speech and was now standing directly in front of Malfoy. Their breath mingled for a few seconds as they just stared at each other. Harry very slowly became aware of the crackling tension between them, the air feeling like it held an electric charge to it. It was something he had felt between them before, but he had always been too angry to pay any attention to it. Now that he was focussing on it, however, he found he quite liked the sensation. He was about to step backwards when he caught a flash of something in the depths of Malfoy’s grey eyes that stopped him.

“Do you have something to say to me?”

Malfoy’s mouth opened and, without meaning to, Harry’s eyes fell to his lips. Plump and pink, they were the one feature Malfoy possessed that wasn’t hard and pointed. Malfoy’s tongue flicked out to wet them and Harry swallowed hard before shaking his head to clear it.

“That’s what you think of me.” Malfoy’s voice was pitched so low it was difficult to hear it over the storm raging outside, but Harry instinctively knew it wasn’t a question. “A childish bully with no sense of responsibility.” Watching him as closely as he was, Harry could see the brief flash of hurt through Malfoy’s eyes before he closed himself off completely. Malfoy turned to retrieve his robes and replace the book he had been reading on the shelf, his movements stilted. “Fine. I’m done. I will work with you and I will endeavour to not say a word to you other than what is absolutely necessary, but beyond that, I am done.”

With that, he pushed past Harry and stalked out of the library. The sharp sense of loss that hit Harry the second he was alone surprised him as much as anything ever had. He and Draco had always fought, had always bounced off each other easily. Why then should this particular moment feel so different, so final?

He knew the answer to that was because this time he actually felt as though he had fucked up severely. The hurt that had darkened Draco's eyes felt as though it had stabbed straight through Harry’s chest, leaving him standing staring blankly at the spot Draco had vacated. Combined with the delicious jabs of lust that hit him occasionally, it added up to him being in a lot of trouble where Draco was concerned.


	11. Chapter Ten

  
**Chapter Ten**

Harry went to bed alone and awoke the next day the same way. He didn’t know if Draco had spent the night in the bed, or on the lounge, or even in another room and the idea caused guilt to trail coldly through him. He hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that he had lost something important the previous afternoon in the library, but he also knew he had absolutely no right to feel that way: Draco wasn’t his to lose. He groaned as his chest constricted. Forcing himself up and out of the bed, he made his way slowly towards the bathroom.

Flexing his shoulders, he pushed the idea that that day was going to be absolutely shit to the back of his mind. It was the last full day they would spend at the retreat; they would be going home tomorrow. He ran through the days’ schedule in his mind as he entered the living room.

“Oh!”

Harry nearly stumbled to a stop just in front of the doorway to the bedroom. Draco was standing in the middle of the room staring at what looked to be a pile of clothing. He was fully dressed already and Harry’s pulse increased as his eyes trailed over him. He licked his lips as his skin heated, increasing seemingly in time to his pulse. Feeling ever more awkward as Draco met his eyes and simply stared, Harry scrubbed a hand along the back of his neck.

“Morning.”

“It is indeed.” Draco's gaze dropped to the pile of clothing again, leaving Harry with another sense of loss. “We are due in the stadium this afternoon. It seems they want us to play another game.”

Harry attempted to swallow down a sudden shot of nerves as he took a small step forward. “Paintball.” His stomach flipped when Draco raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s uniforms and weapons for paintball. It’s a Muggle game. You shoot balls of paint at each other while running around a field.”

Draco's gaze dropped again. “They are going to give couples with marital troubles weapons to shoot each other with?”

Harry was unable to help to wide smile and huff of a laugh he responded with. “Yeah, it probably isn’t Luna’s best idea.”

Something strange flickered through Draco's eyes when he raised his head again, but it was gone in a second. Whatever it was, it caused Harry’s skin to tingle with another shot of guilt. He reached out to grasp Draco's arm as he made to move past him.

“About yesterday…”

“It’s fine.”

“No, it isn’t. I–”

“Potter.” Draco held up his free hand and turned to face Harry. He was now completely closed off again, his grey eyes steely. “Leave it alone.”

The door to the bedroom closed quietly behind him and Draco leant against it, his eyes closing as he breathed slowly. Even that short encounter had left his heart racing, which was completely unacceptable. Concentrating on what Mary had taught him, he took a slow, deep breath and let it out just as slowly. In again and out, repeating the pattern until he felt his pulse decreasing.

He’d spent the night on the lounge, covered in a blanket he had cast a warming charm over. He knew that there was no way he could have brought himself to sleep in the same bed as Potter after their encounter in the library and the revelations he had had. It was now crystal clear to him that any tiny hope he had once held of Potter returning his feelings had been in vain. Harry Potter didn’t – _couldn’t_ – love him and he was going to have to deal with that.

He let out a sigh that somehow managed to sound regretful before pushing off from the door. He knew physical activity would help to distract his mind and so set about packing his belongings. They were leaving the next day and Draco was looking forward to just having a few hours to himself before being forced back into Potter’s company. He huffed out a frustrated breath as his chest constricted. Mary had been right about one thing, at least: he now had something to mourn.

*~*

“You don’t look happy, Harry.” Mary’s voice was quiet. “Do you want to tell me what happened yesterday?”

Staring at the nameplate on Mary’s desk, Harry barely registered that he was being spoken to. The morning had passed in absolutely correct civility, with Draco reacting to him as though they had just met. It was such a dramatic change to what he was used to that it had thrown him off completely. It almost felt as though the world was tilted in some way and Harry didn’t like it one bit.

“Harry?”

He took a deep breath as Mary’s voice finally penetrated the fog surrounding his mind. “Sorry, I was…” He paused, unsure of how to explain. “Distracted.”

A small smile tilted Mary’s lips. “I can see that. Is it something you feel comfortable talking about?”

Raising his eyes, Harry was suddenly hit by an idea. “Draco has been talking to you about… things, right?”

“I can’t discuss another client with you, Harry, no matter who it is.”

“No, no, I know that.” He waved his hand through the air as though to brush the suggestion aside. “I wouldn’t ask you to break that trust, because I’m bound by it as well in my work. But if I tell you what’s wrong, then your job is to help me work out a way to fix it, right? To help me to understand how to get along with Draco?”

He leant forward and placed his elbows on his knees, watching her with building excitement. He knew for a fact that there was no way he could work out how to deal with this on his own, so Mary was probably his only chance. Her eyes narrowed.

“That is a suspiciously sneaky way of trying to get around the restrictions, Auror Potter.”

“It isn’t illegal in the slightest,” Harry was quick to point out. “In fact, you’d just be doing exactly what you’re being paid to do.” It was a method they had used a couple of times to get some form of confession out of a suspect, or to force an admission out of a suspect’s accomplice. “I swear to you I won’t ask anything personal about him. All I want to know is how to deal with this current situation.”

Mary took a breath and let it out slowly. “Alright, let me have it.”

Nodding, Harry let his eyes drop to her nameplate again as he sorted through what he wanted to say. “Yesterday on the Quidditch pitch, right after I crashed, Draco was the first to reach me. I could tell it was him, because his magic has this very distinct feel to it. He cast a diagnostic on me, then turned me over. I remember just lying there and staring at him. My eyes were a little blurred and my head was spinning from the pain, so I might have imagined this part, but it looked like he was… Scared, maybe? I don’t know. But the thing is, the second other people started to land around us, he just began to scream at me as though I had broken my arm on purpose just to spite him, or something ridiculous like that.” Harry decided to leave out the fact that he had been feeling something very much like desire as he watched Draco. He wasn’t sure he was prepared to admit to that aloud just yet. “I went looking for him once I left here and found him in the library. We got into another argument. It didn’t feel any different to any of the other times we’d fought, but I think I might have insulted him. I mean _properly_ insulted him, not just called him names. I’ve never seen him close himself off so quickly before.”

A strange mixture of emotions crowded through Harry’s chest, guilt being the foremost. He had never been good at dealing with his emotions and this was definitely something he knew he couldn’t handle on his own, so he was thankful that it had happened now. He rolled his shoulders and glanced up to see Mary nodding slowly.

“I, of course, cannot claim to know Draco at all. All I can do is advise you based off what I have observed from the two of you over the past week.” She only continued once Harry nodded. “There isn’t any one way to make up for insulting someone. Especially someone who seems as insulated as Draco. If he will let you, I would suggest apologising – sincerely. I would also suggest that you not try to push him in any way. If he doesn’t want to accept an apology, then he most likely won’t.”

Harry pressed his lips together when she fell silent again. Apologising had already occurred to him. Hell, he had already attempted it that morning, but Draco had shut him down. Needing more information, he chose to focus on the other piece of advice.

“So, by don’t push him, do you mean to not even speak to him? He’s responding to me at the moment, but it’s like he’s treating me as though I was just another person he’s forced to interact with. I don’t want to make it seem like I’m trying too hard, but trying to deal with someone who can simply shut me out like this is really exasperating.”

“I do understand that and no, I don’t mean that you should just stop speaking to him altogether. That would be counterproductive to you trying to work together. People in general will give off indicators if you are making them uncomfortable: backing away from you, not meeting your eyes, or even putting a physical object between you and them. If at all possible, I would say to just allow Draco's reactions to you guide how you proceed. If he shows signs of being uncomfortable, then back off. I know Aurors are trained to be observant, so use that training to your advantage.”

Throwing himself back against the back of the chair, Harry let out a gusty sigh. Reading people had never been one of his strong suits, but it looked as though he didn’t have much of a choice. If he wanted to have any kind of relationship with Draco – working or otherwise – then he would have to put in a fair amount of effort, it seemed.

“Alright.”

“‘Alright’?”

Harry nodded, a steely determination causing him to sit up a little straighter. “Alright. I’ve faced worse than this before. How difficult could it be?”


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Eleven**

Shooting Potter with paint pellets was so appealing to Draco that he was actually looking forward to the group activity that afternoon. Rolf had given them a quick demonstration on how to use the guns before leading them to the entrance hall of the stadium. Draco glanced around, taking in the fact that not every couple had decided to join in the game again. Terry and Susan were standing not too far from him, looking much more like they would prefer to be locked away in their suite, they were standing so close. Terry caught Draco's eye and winked at him, causing Draco to automatically roll his eyes.

“Oh, come on, Draco. This is going to be fun, even you have to admit it.”

“Actually, it’s only really fun if you can avoid being shot yourself,” Susan chimed in from Terry’s other side with a grin for Draco. “We played a few times with the Muggle kids down the road when I was little.”

Draco offered them both a nod and a stiff smile before turning to continue checking out his competition. Unfortunately, the next couple his eyes fell on were Joy and Barney. He hadn’t had anything to do with either of them since he and Potter had separated them in the auditorium the other day and it didn’t look like their combined mood had improved at all. He quickly moved away before he could be subjected to Joy’s constant whining.

“Here.”

Draco froze as Potter seemed to materialise in front of him, holding out a charm of some kind. He had been rather successfully ignoring Potter for most of the day, knowing that this was going to be the one time that day he couldn’t avoid him. His own emotions had been confusing him all day. On one hand, he was still smarting from the encounter the day before; on the other, Potter was still capable of almost causing him to stutter with just a look. Or, in this case, by suddenly appearing directly in front of him with no warning. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“What is that?”

“Portkey.” There was a distracted tone to Potter’s voice as he wriggled, obviously trying to adjust the gun hanging over his shoulder. “It’ll drop us somewhere in the forest they’ve grown in the stadium. You should probably take point; I know I’m much more useful scanning for threats than I am at working out where we should be going.”

A tiny thread of suspicion trailed down Draco's back, causing him to wonder whether Potter was trying to manipulate him in some way. He shoved it aside, however. He had made the decision to trust Potter when it came to their work and that was exactly what this was. He had also decided that if he had to deal with Potter, then he would do so in the most professional way possible: no sarcasm, no discussions about anything other than their work, not even any arguments. He and Potter were workmates and that was all.

When his stomach began to squirm with desire as he watched Potter adjusting the gun and his uniform, Draco turned to scan the crowd of people instead of looking at him. A few deep breaths later and he was back under control again. Focussing on those closest to him, a pattern to the uniforms soon became apparent.

“They expect us to work in pairs.”

“That is kind of the whole point of the retreat.” There was a tone of amusement to Rolf’s voice as Draco turned towards him. Leaning in so he could be heard by both Draco and Potter without the rest of the group hearing, Rolf grinned. “Care to make things interesting?”

Potter returned Rolf’s grin, causing Draco's stomach to flip. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, we are, of course, not going to keep official scores. This is just for fun and isn’t a competition. But just between the three of us…” His grin widened into a true smile. “Maybe ten Galleons each to whoever scores the highest?”

Draco shook his head in vague disbelief as Potter and Rolf shook hands. Rolf then turned to him with a challenging smirk.

“Draco?”

His eyes flicked over Rolf’s shoulder to see Potter watching him closely. There wasn’t any kind of challenge in his gaze, but Draco knew he would lose face if he turned the wager down. The smile that broke on Potter’s face when Draco accepted Rolf’s hand almost stole Draco's breath completely away. Rolf clapped Draco on the back as he moved away, calling for everyone to gather around.

“Listen up everyone. You all know how to use your guns. Please try to not aim for anywhere on someone else that isn’t protected by the uniform, as it will hurt a lot more. We’ve handed out the Portkeys. They will transport each team to a different part of the forest and you can use them again at any time to get back to the lobby here. Are there any questions?” Rolf grinned when no one spoke up. “Alright, then. Please touch your Portkey and we will activate them.”

Draco closed his eyes as he felt the tug in his stomach; Portkey travel had never really been a favourite of his. He almost stumbled as they landed. The forest was dark and gloomy, sending an uncomfortable shiver down Draco's spine. The air was humid and close, with drifts of fog swirling amongst the undergrowth, making it difficult to see very far through the trees. The smell of damp earth and the chirruping of insects made it all feel so authentic that Draco knew that if he hadn’t already known that they were playing inside, he couldn’t tell the difference. A tiny bug buzzed up and around Draco's head before landing on the tree trunk next to him. He had to resist the urge to swat it as he tucked the Portkey into the top pocket of his uniform.

“What do you think?”

Potter’s voice was low, suiting the gloomy feeling of the forest. Draco glanced quickly around the small clearing, taking in how difficult it was to take a deep breath with the warmth in the air. Closing his eyes briefly, he pushed everything else as far to the back of his mind as he could manage and allowed his Auror training to the forefront of his mind.

“It will be difficult to keep focus in this kind of climate. We are the only ones here with the training required to last more than a few hours in a forest like this one, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for others in trouble.” He knew that that was just a basic overview of their situation, but figured that basic was all that was really required. “Rolf must know that. He probably isn’t counting on the game lasting very long.”

“Honestly, with what we’re up against, neither am I.”

Coming from anyone else, Draco would have assumed that that was arrogance, but he knew Potter was right. If this was a real game, they would absolutely slaughter everyone else there. Holding the gun in front of him, he took point, as Potter had suggested earlier.

Draco had been on many missions before that had required him to creep through dark and eerie places, but there was something about the quiet of this forest that had his heart thumping with anticipation. Each rustle of leaves, each tiny twig snapping had him glancing off to his side, keeping watch for the other couples. The forest looked centuries old, with the trees stretching up so far he couldn’t make out the tops. The undergrowth had, thankfully, been kept under control, so at least he didn’t have to worry about tripping over roots, or crashing into thorny bushes accidentally. He wished that he could have the time to stop and examine some of the spell work, because this was one of the best-cast atmospheric charms he had ever seen.

Moving silently, it was easy to forget everything that had happened over the past few days and Draco could feel himself relaxing a little. This kind of thing was what he lived for: chasing other people, adrenalin pumping through his veins, and watching for signs of tracks everywhere. Sweat beaded on his forehead and top lip, making him thankful that the uniforms came with gloves. It also began to slide slowly down his spine, leaving him twitching his shoulders as he became stickier by the second. This was a situation that he had been in many times before, though, so he knew he could deal with the slight inconvenience. Stepping out around a large tree, Draco froze.

“But _why_ do we have to do this? It makes no sense!”

Draco immediately crouched, signalling to Potter that there was someone ahead of them. Potter moved up close behind him and crouched as well.

“Who is it?”

“This is one of the stupidest things we have ever done, you do realise that, right? There was no need for us to come all the way out here and now look at what they’ve got us doing. I’m standing in the middle of a God damned _forest_ , Barney!”

Draco glanced at Potter in time to see him rolling his eyes. Even if Joy’s mention of her husband hadn’t given them away, her grating accent would have. Potter leant close.

“Do you want to shoot her, or can I?”

There was a low tone of excitement to his voice and Draco couldn’t help turning to meet his eyes. They seemed to almost glow in the gloom and Draco nearly found himself caught again. Clearing his throat quietly, he frowned as he turned back to the clearing ahead of them.

“You can have it only if you can beat me to it.”

Potter was gone from his side in seconds, but Draco's focus was more on Joy. Creeping closer, he knelt down so he could get a better view. Joy and Barnabas stood in the middle of a small clearing, looking as though they hadn’t moved an inch from where the Portkey had dropped them. Sympathy for Barnabas flooded through Draco’s chest as he got a good look at him. He knew this retreat had been a last resort for the two of them and it didn’t look like it had worked to him. Facing away from Draco's hiding spot, Joy had her hands fisted on her hips and her legs braced apart as she harangued her husband.

“So, what? Are you ignoring me, now? That’s really mature, Barney, congratulations.”

Looking down the sight of the gun, Draco smiled as he caught a small movement on the opposite side of the clearing. Potter had just settled himself beside one of the trees to Joy’s right, but Draco knew he needed time to set up; this point was his. Refocussing on Joy in front of him, Draco aimed and squeezed the trigger. She let out a shriek as the paint pellet hit her square in the middle of her back and spun around to face where she obviously thought the shot had come from. She was just in time for Potter’s shot to hit her in the back as well. The paint pellets made a satisfying thud as they hit the hard plastic, but it was nearly drowned out by Joy’s shrieks.

Sliding out of cover as quietly as possible, Draco made his way around the clearing. His heart thumped in his chest as he moved and he was finding it difficult to stop himself from grinning. This stupid Muggle game was proving to be much more fun than he had expected, even if the opportunity to shoot Potter had been taken away from him.

Rounding a clump of low bushes, Draco spotted Potter crouched in front of a massive tree, his gun to his shoulder. He scanned the area ahead of Potter automatically, looking for any kind of danger. When nothing presented itself, Draco stepped out and glanced around near himself, not wanting to expose himself to any unnecessary dangers. A slight rustle caught his attention and he narrowed his eyes, trying to make out whether it was another player or just a normal sound. It was the glint of glass that gave away whoever it was that was hidden by the bushes. The gun was pointed directly at Potter’s back at a level that Draco knew would most likely hit him in the back of his head. Without even thinking, Draco sprinted out into the clearing.

“Harry!”

The shots sounded just as Draco managed to place himself between them and Harry’s head. Pain lanced through his ribs as the paint pellets hit him in a gap in his armour. Harry turned in front of him and Draco heard shots being fired, but he stayed where he was, his hands braced on the tree in front of him. Breathing was a little difficult through the shock of pain, but Draco knew it would only bruise; that there wasn’t anything terribly wrong with him. It seemed Harry didn’t, though.

“Where did they hit? Why would you do that?”

Harry’s voice was low as he stood. The move brought them eye-to-eye and Draco found himself holding his breath as he saw concern on Harry’s face. There was an electric tension crackling between them again and it sent Draco's mouth dry.

“Ribs. And better my ribs than your head.”

Harry’s hands fumbled with the clasps on the side of Draco's uniform before he paused to rip his gloves off. In a few seconds, his bare fingers were tracing lightly up Draco’s ribs. Draco felt the touch of a wandless Healing charm all field Aurors are taught, but it was the sensation of Harry’s warm fingers that held him still, his heart beating erratically.

“That won’t Heal the bruises that will form, but it’ll block the pain for the time being.”

He didn’t remove his hand from up Draco's shirt, flexing his fingers on the spot he had been hit instead. Draco knew he should back off, but he found he didn’t have the willpower. He didn’t even resist when Harry’s massaging fingers slid down his ribs again to tighten on his hip. He leant into the pressure, allowing himself to be guided.

“I… I’m sorry I’m such an idiot.” Draco's eyes fell to Harry’s lips as he spoke. “I didn’t mean–”

A snap of a twig caused Draco to draw in a sharp breath and shove off the tree. He could hear Harry swearing a blue streak, but his attention was more focussed inward. Had he really just nearly kissed Harry Potter? Had Harry himself instigated it? Draco fumbled with the clasp on his uniform, getting it re-clipped before someone else could shoot him.

“Come on.”

He moved off into the forest again, confusion and a white-hot need coursing through him.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Chapter Twelve**

Draco winced as he peeled his sticky, sweat stained shirt off that night. He was now twenty Galleons richer, thanks to him and Harry accidentally finding a group of the couples who had decided to stick together. They had been easy pickings for Draco, who had had the better line-of-sight. The money wasn’t what had occupied his mind most of the afternoon, though. Harry’s eyes and that almost-kiss kept flashing through his mind, crumbling his determination that he would let this go. Giving himself yet another mental shake, he tried to refocus.

Turning so he could see his back, he groaned as he caught sight of the purple bruises. The Healing charm had long since worn off, leaving him with a dull ache in his side every time he moved. A soft knock on the bathroom door caused him to jump.

“It’s unlocked.”

The door opened slowly and Harry entered, a pot of what Draco hoped was bruise salve in his hand. “Luna just dropped off…”

He trailed off as he looked up. Draco frowned as a deep blush stained Harry’s cheeks.

“I don’t have anything you haven’t seen before, you know.”

Harry cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. “I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen anyone with bruises like that before.”

It was weak and an obvious attempt at covering something up. Draco's mind was immediately drawn back to the forest and the delicious tension that had crackled through the air as Harry’s hand had trailed up his side. He could almost still feel the warm touch of Harry’s fingers and he closed his eyes briefly as the desire to feel them on him again hit him.

“Thanks.” Draco's voice broke and he cleared his throat as he turned to face the mirror again. “Just leave it–”

“You think you can reach those bruises yourself? You can barely move as it is.”

Scowling, Draco reached his hand around to his ribs and couldn’t hold back another wince as his muscles objected to the move. The bruises were in just the wrong position for him to be able to reach with either of his hands, meaning if he wanted to use the salve, he would need help. He huffed out an annoyed breath before turning to Harry.

“Are you offering to help?”

“I could grab Luna if you want.”

“No.” Draco bit down on his tongue; that had been way too fast. His lips pressed together briefly before he tried again. “No, she’s obviously busy; if she wasn’t she probably would have stayed.”

He caught Harry’s nod in the mirror. Turning so Harry had a proper view of the bruises, Draco held his breath and closed his eyes. The first touch of Harry’s fingers on his ribs had another shot of need lurching through his stomach. Harry’s other hand landed on Draco's hip, holding him steady, but that only made Draco's situation all that much worse.

_Professional_ , his mind screamed at him. _He is your workmate and nothing else! He doesn’t want you and you shouldn’t want him!_

“Draco…”

Harry’s voice was barely above a whisper. Draco could feel the hand that had been on his hip sliding slowly along the small of his back and he couldn’t help turning. Harry was so close Draco could see the flecks of gold in his glasses-magnified eyes.

“May I?”

Draco must have nodded, because the next thing he knew, Harry’s lips were on his. The kiss was soft and hesitant, but _good_. Without even thinking about it, Draco's hands clenched in Harry’s shirt, pulling him closer. A sharp jolt of desire seemed to buzz through Draco's entire body and he could feel his body reacting already. He couldn’t care, though. This was what he had been craving for so long that he would take everything he could while it was being offered. Harry broke the kiss when his clean hand slid up to trace over Draco's cheekbone.

“I’m sorry.”

Draco's mind was mush. He was warm and content and so full of desire for the man in front of him that he was barely able to form real words. He blinked a couple of times before opening his mouth.

“Huh?” _Well done, Draco. Very articulate._

Harry’s responding smile stole his breath away again. “I’m sorry. For everything, but yesterday in particular. Insulting you like that was unforgivable and I swear I’ll understand if you tell me to back off now.”

“Back off?” Confusion slid through the mush in Draco's mind, trying to make sense of why he would push Harry away when it looked like he was just about to receive everything he wanted.

Harry pressed forward a little so he was close enough that Draco could feel the heat emanating from him. “If you don’t want this, tell me right now. I’ll back off and never mention it again, I swear.”

Draco's eyes slid shut. Technically, in the tiny part of his mind not clouded with lust, he knew this was probably an incredibly stupid idea. However, it was something he had wanted so desperately for so long that he knew he couldn’t turn Harry down. The breath he took was slightly shaky as he leant forward.

“Don’t stop.”

His words seemed to release something for Harry. Wrapping his arms around Draco's waist, he pulled him roughly to his chest, pressing them tightly together. It felt so right that not even the dull jab of pain in Draco's ribs stopped him from trying to get closer. Draco's mouth opened automatically the second their lips met, admitting Harry’s tongue. He looped his own arms around Harry’s neck as Harry began stepping slowly backwards towards what Draco assumed was the bedroom. By the time they made the doorway, Draco's body was thrumming with need. Harry broke the kiss to strip himself of his shirt, then stepped back up to press Draco into the hard wood of the door and ran hot lips down his neck.

“Harry…”

“I want to taste you, Draco.”

The words were accompanied by a twist of one of Draco's nipples and any response he had been going to make was lost in a moan. His hands landed in Harry’s hair, clinging to it as though to an anchor as Harry slowly made his way down Draco's body. A whispered spell Vanished the rest of their clothing and Draco forced his blurry eyes to focus on what was happening.

Kneeling before him, Harry licked his lips before leaning forward. The first touch of Harry’s lips to Draco's cockhead had his hands clenching in Harry’s hair again.

“ _Fuck_.”

“Mmm,” Harry murmured against the underside of Draco's cock. “Not yet.”

Pleasure ripped through Draco as he felt himself swallowed down Harry’s throat. It was too much too soon. Draco's heart thudded against his ribcage, his mouth opened wide in an attempt to get more air and he was afraid he would never be able to unclench his fingers again. Harry’s rough tongue rubbed along the underside of Draco's cock as he began to move, adding that much more stimulation.

“Harry, I… I need…” What he needed, though, Draco couldn’t say. The need to come was building rapidly in him, but he wasn’t sure he wanted it this way. But then, should he be complaining about how it happened? As long as it happened, he would be satisfied. “Please…”

Harry hummed in response and Draco's stomach clenched. He was sure he let out a noise that sounded like a whine, but at that point, he didn’t care. He massaged his fingers into Harry’s head, moving with him now as he licked and sucked. The pressure building was reaching a peak when Harry pulled off him.

“Come now, Draco.”

His finger pressed against Draco's perineum as he took him into his hot mouth again and that was it. Draco's hands clenched and he began to thrust into Harry’s welcoming mouth. Harry hummed when Draco managed to hit the back of his throat and that was all he needed. Letting out a strangled cry, Draco let go. Harry continued to milk him for everything he had before rising to his feet and pressing him against the door again. Draco's mind was swimming with his afterglow, but he did register the hard bulge against his hip.

“Harry…”

“I want you, Draco.”

“Yes.”

At that moment, he knew he probably would have let Harry tie him to the balcony in the storm if it meant he was satisfied like that again. The door gave way behind him and Draco stumbled. Harry’s arm wrapping around his waist stopped him from falling and Draco smiled. Allowing Harry to guide him, Draco moved into the bedroom backwards. The heat in Harry’s eyes as they arranged themselves on the bed was sending jolts of need through Draco again and he knew he was going to get what he wanted.

“Draco…”

Harry’s voice was rough, piling yet more need into Draco's nearly overloaded system. He raised his knees as Harry lay down on top of him. The feeling of having Harry’s weight on top of him was helping to get Draco going again and he slid a hand in between them to begin to stroke his slowly hardening cock. Harry mumbled the preparation charms just before he claimed Draco's lips in a harsh kiss.

The sensation of having Harry sliding inside him sent electric jolts through Draco's stomach. He had dreamed and fantasised about this moment before, but this was so much more. Harry’s scent was surrounding him and he was so heavy, so solid; so _real_ that Draco was hardly daring to breathe. Harry broke the kiss when he was fully settled inside Draco. Resting their foreheads together, Harry panted as he stared down at him, his pupils blown wide.

“I need – have to…”

Draco squeezed his muscles experimentally; the charms had definitely done their job. “Move.”

Harry didn’t need a second prompt. He pulled out and thrust back in, causing Draco to groan. He set a fast pace, obviously pretty far gone already, if the sounds he was letting out were any indication. Draco timed his hand to Harry’s thrusts, causing the pressure inside him to build rapidly again. When Harry managed to hit his prostate, Draco's hand clenched on his cock before starting again.

“Draco – I – I…”

“Close, close.”

“Have to – Can’t hold.”

Draco clenched his muscles around Harry, giving him the release he needed. Harry’s hips continued to thrust in small jerks as he came. With his eyes closed and his mouth open in a silent scream, Harry was the most beautiful thing Draco had ever seen. He reached up to card his fingers through Harry’s hair. The move caused Harry’s glassy eyes to reopen. He held Draco's gaze as his hand joined Draco's on his cock. It didn’t take much to bring Draco to completion again and Harry collapsed down on top of him, panting with the exertion. Draco had no idea how long it was before they moved, but it was only to cast a cleansing charm before they fell asleep.

*~*

This was the most relaxed Harry ever remembered being. He was reluctant to open his eyes to discover if the reason he was feeling so good was real or not, but he wasn’t given much choice when he felt the bed shift. Rolling over, he opened his eyes to find Draco blinking blearily at him.

“Morning.”

Draco's eyes fixed on Harry, causing Harry’s stomach to flutter. “You’re still here.”

Harry chuckled. “Should I be offended by that?”

Shifting slowly, obviously to try to keep as much of himself beneath the warm covers as possible, Draco moved to lie on top of him. “Will you being offended make the sex better?”

“Better?” Harry couldn’t help scoffing, but his hands began exploring Draco's lightly muscled back. Those muscles had come as a surprise to him the night before when he had finally gotten a look at Draco naked, but he had discovered that they only added to Draco's appeal. “You came twice in the space of about five minutes last night. How much better do you want?”

Spreading his legs, Draco grinned as he straddled Harry. “We should always strive for perfection, Potter.”

Harry growled as he flipped them over. “It’s Harry.”

“Well, _Harry_ , I am waiting.”

Harry couldn’t help laughing as he settled in for round two. He knew in the back of his mind that this probably wasn’t what the Ministry had meant when they had told them they had to learn to get along. He also knew that Ron had definitely been joking the other day when he had made the suggestion. However, Harry found he couldn’t care what anyone else thought as he stared down at Draco beneath him. He had found what he wanted and he wasn’t letting go any time soon.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Chapter Thirteen**

There had been something odd about Harry and Draco since they had returned from the counselling retreat two weeks previously. Gawain frowned as he watched the two of them working together in training. They still fought, but there was something different about it these days; it was almost like they were building up to something. He had seen the anticipation of something in Harry’s eyes a number of times and Draco’s taunts, while just as mean as ever, seemed to just make Harry grin.

“Malfoy, Potter, front and centre!” The entire field seemed to freeze, with the rest of the teams watching on in anticipation. “Back to work, you lot. You’re not being paid to stand around looking pretty.”

There even seemed to be a difference in the way Harry and Draco were moving as compared to before the retreat. Whereas before, they would have avoided each other as much as possible, now they walked up to him side-by-side. Suspicion slid down Gawain’s spine when they very carefully did not look at each other as they came to a stop before him.

“Is there a problem, Gawain?”

“Enjoying the new form of stress relief the retreat gave you?” If Draco’s expression closing off completely hadn’t been enough of a giveaway that he had guessed right, then Harry’s deep red blush would have been. Gawain sighed. “If this interferes with your work in any way–”

“It won’t.”

Draco’s too-fast reply had Gawain trying to force back a laugh. “See that it doesn’t. Dismissed.” Draco returned to the field immediately, but Harry hung back, glancing between Gawain and the field. “Is there something else, Harry?”

“No, I – er…” He paused, a small frown forming between his eyebrows. “I did want to thank you, though.”

Gawain scowled. “Get back to work, Potter.”

*~*

Draco’s breath hitched in his throat as pleasure ripped through him. Pressed against the wall of a stall in the Leaky, he knew he had to keep quiet, but Harry was making that difficult as he rubbed slowly against Draco’s prostate. His fingers curled and he clawed at the tiles in front of him.

“Harry…” His voice was barely above a whisper, but he was unsure at this point if that was due to their almost public position or Harry’s ability to steal away every single rational thought in his mind. “Please…”

Panting, Harry pressed his lips to Draco’s ear as he quickened his pace again. “Come for me, Draco.”

Unable to do anything other than obey as the pleasure inside him peaked, Draco ground his hips back into Harry as he spilled his release all over the wall and his stomach. His knees gave way and he collapsed against the wall as Harry followed him into orgasm. Draco knew that Harry was supporting both of their weight, but there was very little he could – or wanted to – do about it at that moment. He was warm, sated and so content with his current position that he knew he would be happy to just stay in that bathroom the entire night. It seemed that Harry had other ideas, however. Tightening his arms around Draco’s waist, he moved them until he sagged down onto the closed toilet lid.

“I told you we should have stayed at my place tonight.”

“Bite me, Potter. Your friends need to know about us at some point; even you have to admit that.”

“I’m not objecting to telling Ron and Hermione, Malfoy,” Harry retorted.

The slide of Harry’s hand along Draco’s stomach and press of his lips against his ear countered any insult Draco could have taken from the tone of his voice, causing him to smile. He wriggled in Harry’s lap, enjoying the whoosh of Harry’s breath against his skin. The past two weeks had been absolute bliss for Draco, with Harry seemingly unable to keep his hands off him. Although, he did have to admit that that was proving to be a little difficult to deal with when it came to situations like this, when they had to be seen in polite company.

“What then?”

“Drinks at the Leaky takes hours.” Harry’s voice was low, sending a shiver of delight through Draco’s stomach. “Hours we could be using in other ways.”

Draco chuckled. “So I probably shouldn’t tell you that I’ve organised to meet Blaise and Pansy next weekend?”

Harry’s responding groan sounded pained. Draco couldn’t help smiling in response as he stood and cast cleansing charms over the both of them. Trying to adjust his clothing and hair in the tiny stall was awkward and Draco feared that he still looked like he had just been shagged stupid by the time he was done. Harry, of course, had no such problems, as he looked a mess most of the time anyway. He grinned as he ran his hands through Draco’s hair, smoothing it down.

“Keep smiling at me like that and I may have to keep you in here the entire night, Ron and Hermione be damned.”

Draco rolled his eyes. The bathroom was, thankfully, empty as they exited the stall. There was still a wariness the two of them held over the press they could possibly attract with this relationship, so they had been attempting to keep as low a profile as possible in public. This meeting with the Weasel and his wife would be the first time they had been seen in public together and Draco’s nerves had been singing all day. He gave himself one last quick onceover before pushing the door to the bathroom open and stepping out.

“I’ll be back in a minute, Hermione – oh!”

Draco froze as he crashed into Ron, who had been entering the bathroom. He stumbled backwards into Harry, whose arm wrapped immediately around his waist. An absolute horror at being caught in such an obvious position flooded through Draco’s stomach as Ron’s eyes widened in recognition, then realisation as they flicked between Draco and Harry.

“Harry? You and…” Ron paused, his mouth opening and closing silently. It didn’t take long for him to re-find his voice, however. “I wasn’t serious, Harry!”

Draco blinked in confusion before turning to look over his shoulder at Harry, who seemed to be blushing. “What?”

“I’ll explain later,” Harry muttered before turning a wide smile on his friend. “And Ron, I am serious.”

Draco’s heart began to race as he looked between the two of them. Instead of falling back on his old defences of blocking everyone and everything out, however, Draco’s automatic reaction this time was to take a slow, deep breath and let it out just as slowly. Mary’s voice popped into his head, telling him that the best way to deal with a stressful situation was to just breathe. He took another breath in and held it this time as Ron shook his head.

“This is all my fault.”

“Only partially.” Harry grinned, sending a jolt of need through Draco. “I’ll buy you a drink in thanks.”

Ron shook his head, clapped Harry on the shoulder and moved off into the bathroom. Harry was still grinning as he began to guide Draco through the crowd, his arm still wrapped tightly around his waist.

“Harry–”

“Let’s just say that Ron gave me the push I needed to see what was clearly in front of me.” Harry stopped in the middle of the dancefloor, still pressed close to Draco’s back. “And that I owe him quite a bit for that realisation.”

The low vibration of Harry’s voice sent Draco’s heart fluttering madly in his chest. Combined with the thrumming of the bassline that was causing his insides to tremble, it had Draco’s mind swimming with possibilities. He took another slow breath in and let it out again before turning to press himself to Harry’s chest.

“If that’s the case, then perhaps I should be the one to buy the first round.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! You can show your appreciation for the author in a comment here or on [Livejournal](http://hd-erised.livejournal.com/56717.html). ♥
> 
> This story is part of an on-going anonymous fest hosted at [hd_erised @ livejournal.com](http://hd_erised.livejournal.com/). The author will be revealed January 8th.


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